To You, I Raise My Glass
by fireflydiamond
Summary: Sequel to The Past Can Never Lie. Grief: It is the only force that can consume both love and rage. Sometimes, it can also take over reality. What can happen when dream becomes reality and life is but a plan for ultimate demise? One woman is soon to know.
1. Goodbye to Nothing

Disclaimer:  I do not own Harry Potter…oh, forget it.  You know.

A/N:  Hey, guys, it's back!  The sequel is here!  Now, unlike the first one, this story will not have a song at the beginning of every chapter.  I'm running out of them!  But there may be snippets of songs in later chapters.  Well, hope you enjoy this as much as the first one!  And now to express a thanks to the people who reviewed the last chapter of TPCNL, 'cause if I don't I'll feel really bad:

Indiangurl:  Yes, it kills me to write it, but I had to.  Sorry I couldn't e-mail you, but I'm really not allowed (parents' rule).  Hope you like this!

Gaul1:  Thank you!  Yeah, it was sad, sorry!  But here's the sequal.  Maybe it'll make you feel a little better :).

BURN THE RUM:  Here, I know you've been waiting.  I actually was going to wait a little longer to put it up, but I figured what the hell!  Here you go, and thank you so much for all the nice things you said!

Writingangel203:  Yeah, yeah, you know what happens in this chapter, Neli.  And when do you NOT write in a British accent?  Hehehe

Harryforeva:  Thank you so much!  I hope the sequal will be good, but I guess you're the judge of that.  Happy Reading!

The gray clouds mixed with the white and covered up the blue sky.  No rain fell, and the wind blew softly.  It was not a horribly cold day, but it was chilly all the same.  

Underneath these skies was a gathering.  There were people huddled together, surrounding a long, majestic coffin.  It was a funeral, but there was no body in that coffin.

Dumbledore stepped out to say a few words.  All around him were people grieving a loss that happened over a year ago.  Hermione was in Ron's arms sobbing.  The rest of the Weasleys looked down, but tears were in their eyes.  The Order was silent, but they would not look at the coffin.  Remus Lupin was the only one who held a strong face.  He had been through so many deaths before…

But Harry Potter – the one they had expected to be sobbing the loudest – just stared.  He looked at the Phoenix carving in the smooth wood of the coffin, as if begging the bird to come to life and fly away.  Maybe it would go through that veil and find Sirius…revive him.  But they were all foolish hopes.

Dumbledore cleared his throat.  "I am very proud to say that I knew Sirius Black.  He and his three best friends became like sons to me.  Except one chose to deceive…"  He trailed off, but quickly began talking again.  "He was brave, charming, and one of the smartest students we've had at Hogwarts.  And though he spent the majority of his life in hiding, his closest and most loyal friends stayed true to him.  And now, one year after his death, his name has been cleared by the Minister of Magic himself."

Dumbledore paused, as Tonks gave out a long sob.

"Sirius Black left behind many people that he loved with all his heart.  One of his best friends, Remus Lupin, is the last of the Marauders – "    Dumbledore purposely left Peter out of the count – "and has seen so much one should not see in a lifetime.  Harry Potter, his godson, loved Sirius like a father."  Dumbledore turned and looked at the pained expression on Harry's face.  It begged him to stop.

"He has now gone to join his friends.  He will once again see his wife, Melissa, who was tragically taken from him before their first child was born.  And now, there is no more.  It grieves me to say this, but that is the end.  Goodbye, Padfoot."

Dumbledore stepped down and walked back into the circle of people.  Harry could've sworn he saw a tear stream under Dumbledore's half-moon glasses.  Harry slowly stepped towards the coffin, and placed a flower on top of it.

"I wish I could still live with you," he muttered.

One by one, people dropped flowers onto the smooth surface of the wood.  Then they left to go to the wake.  All were gone, but one woman.

She walked closer to the coffin and stared at it intently.  Crystalline tears began to form at the corners of her eyes.  She had been in the Order of the Phoenix, and knew Sirius very well.  They had been very close.  The wind blew her brown hair softly off her shoulders as one tear slid silently down her cheek.  She looked upon the coffin and her lips formed into a small smile.

"Such a big crowd came for you today," she said.  "You always were quite the charmer."  She knelt down and kissed the top of the coffin.  Then, slowly, she got up.  She knew that this was no use.  There was only air inside that coffin, and she had been saying goodbye to nothing.  She ran her fingers over the words of the gravestone and read each one:

"To the memory of Sirius "Padfoot" Black

Beloved friend and Godfather

Husband to Melissa

_You are the loyal, protective star to all of us._

_We love you, Padfoot._"

The woman then turned to the grave next to Sirius's.  It read:

"Heres to Melissa Black

Loving wife of Sirius

_You were loved by everyone who crossed your path._

_You shall remain immortal in the hearts of those who remember._"

She noticed that the stone of this grave had cracks and was in horribly bad shape.  People had vandalized it when Sirius was known as a convict and servant of Lord Voldemort.  But she knew that it hadn't only been those people who'd done this.

"It's because of this destruction that he had to die," the woman whispered to herself as one more tear slid down her cheek.  She got up and began to walk away.  But before she reached her car, she turned.  "I'll always love you, Padfoot."

And then, Melissa Black got into her car and drove to the wake.  She still was just a shadow, invisible to all those that would be there.

A/N:  There's the first chapter!  It's short, but hopefully it'll get longer.  PLEASE REVIEW!!!


	2. A Drink Or Two

Disclaimer:  I don't own Harry Potter.  JK Rowling does.  YOU ALL KNOW THIS!!!  

Reviews!  Yay!

LIWY:  Yeah, I understand.  It's just, I couldn't say "Here Lies" because there wasn't a body in the coffin (they never found Melissa).  It wouldn't have made sense.  And I didn't want to copy what was written on Sirius's tombstone.  But, thanks for reading, I appreciate it!  Oh, and it would be wise to read the first story if you plan on continuing reading it, because later on, it will make no sense without it.

BURN THE RUM:  It's confusing, I know…it will all be explained, I promise.  You were the first person to give this whole entire story a shot, so you count as the first reviewer :).  I've actually got a Pirates of the Caribbean fic in the works.  I don't quite know when it'll be posted, though.  By the way, did you know that Johnny Depp is nominated for Best Actor in the Academy Awards for PotC?  I practically fainted when I found out!

Harryforeva:  Yup, she's alive!  Sirius's reaction will be talked of later on…and it will be cleared up.  Thanks for reading the chapter!

Melissa scanned the room of the wake with her pale eyes.  All around were people she had known.  She stood off into a corner, for she didn't want to bring attention to herself.  These people had already lost someone; they didn't need a heart attack level surprise on top of it.

The room was large and decked with candles.  People were talking and sharing fond memories.  Across the hall she saw Harry sitting at a table all alone.  His head was down and he fingered his drink.  Was that a shot glass?

Mel continued to look around the room until her eyes rested on Dumbledore.  He sat at the bar sipping and Bloody Mary.  She walked swiftly over to him.

"That was quite an act you put up back there."

Dumbledore turned around at this.  "You made it," he said, a small smile forming.

"Of course I did.  I could never miss this, Albus.  I loved him.  But did you really have to tell them I was dead?  You know that's not true."

"They think you're dead, Ms. Blaine.  They would have thought it odd if I did not mention his precious(sss) wife."  Dumbledore downed the remainder of his Bloody Mary.

"Albus, it's Mrs. Black," Mel said, sitting down at the bar.  "A tequila and two fire whiskeys, please."  She watched as the bartender prepared and handed her the drinks.

"Melissa, you never drink like that."

"I think I deserve it.  My husband, who I haven't seen in seventeen years, is dead.  I'm surrounded by people who think I, myself, am dead.  I think that calls for a few shots of alcohol.  And besides, how do you know I don't drink this much?  We haven't spoken in ten years."  Melissa drank the shot of tequila in one fast gulp.

"Are you really here to tell me how much you need a drink, Mrs. Black?" asked Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling with a small bit of laughter.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Vanessa."

At this, Dumbledore almost choked on the drink he had just ordered.  "You're not thinking of transferring back, are you?"

"Actually, I was.  We appreciate what you've done for us, Albus, we really do.  It's just…England is our home.  America is beautiful, but we belong here.  All Nessa ever talks about is her dreams of going to Hogwarts.  She's only got two years left of Wizarding School, please just let us come back."

"Melissa, it might not be safe.  You saw how much your grave was vandalized.  Imagine what could happen to you or Ness."

"Please, Albus, she's my daughter.  She's already been deprived of her father; do not deprive her of anything else.  And besides, Sirius has been cleared of everything.  What more can they do to us?"  Melissa drank one of the fire whiskeys.

Dumbledore eyed her warily, but he knew what he had to do.  "All right, you both can come back.  But could you stay at Hogwarts?  Some people out there still might think Sirius was a Death Eater."

Melissa jumped up with delight and hugged Dumbledore.  "Of course we will!  Vanessa will love that!  We really appreciate how much you've protected us!  Thank you!"  She pulled away and straightened her black silk dress.  "Now if you'll excuse me," she said, "I have to go catch up with some old friends."  And with that, she downed the last shot of whiskey and walked to the other side of the bar.

Remus Lupin sat on a stool holding a glass of Scotch.  He looked half drunk.  Melissa walked up behind him, and felt a smile spread across her face.

"You shouldn't drink like that – you look bloody awful."  

Remus began to turn around.  "If you'll excuse me, I can drink however I damn well ple-"

He stopped speaking as soon as he saw who was standing right in front of him.  He turned back around, drank the rest of his Scotch, faced Melissa, and then blinked.

"You shouldn't talk that way at your best friend's funeral, too."  Melissa couldn't help but laugh a little at Remus's face.  "Moony, you look just like you've fallen head first into a pensieve!"

"I think I have," he said, his eyes wide with awe.  He then got up and pulled Mel into a big embrace.  It was then that he cried.  He had never let a single tear fall before now, but it was all too much.  He had a best friend back.  He was no longer alone.

As they pulled apart, Remus exclaimed, "Mel!  I can't believe it!  How – when – the cliff –"

"How about I explain it all over a pint of Bitters?"  

Remus nodded and sat down.  Mel signaled to the Bartender for a couple of pints (A/N:  "They come in pints?  I'm getting one."  "But you've had three already!"  Sorry, I had to do that.).  Remus looked her in the eyes, too stunned for any speech.

"What exactly have you been doing these past seventeen years?" Remus asked when he finally found his words.

"Cheating death," Mel answered.  "And every month I have to drink that Godforsaken memory potion."

"But I thought Albus said every year!"

"Nope, it's every month.  I found that out the hard way.  I spent nearly two weeks in the hospital.  So now, if I don't drink it every month, I'll die a horribly painful death.  Really raises the spirits, you know?"  Mel finished the statement with a clear hint of sarcasm.

"So, how did you survive the cliff?  It's not exactly normal to live after hitting the ground at over 80 miles per hour."

"I…I don't exactly know.  I was falling, clutching my blue wedding goblet, and praying to God that my child would survive.  I knew it was foolish, but I still tried.  Right before I blacked out, I could feel the fall becoming slower and slower.  When I woke up, I was lying on the damp grass, goblet still in hand.  It's a miracle it didn't shatter.  Soon a wizard boy found me and took me to St. Mungo's.  I was in the newspaper, listed as an unidentified pregnant woman.  When Dumbledore read where I'd been found, he came to the hospital and made arrangements for me to be safe from any harm.  I was shipped off to America, and have been living there since."

"How come Sirius didn't realize you'd been found?"

"He was probably in Azkaban by then, and had not had access to a newspaper.  Oh, the drinks are here!"  Mel grabbed a pint and began to sip it.  Remus took his, but only held it.

"I had stopped my subscription after all the crap they'd said about Sirius.  Wait, the baby hadn't died?  You've been raising a child all on your own for the past seventeen years?"

"Yes, after I was in America, I gave birth to Vanessa, my daughter.  You should see her, Remus.  She looks exactly like Sirius.  She has his personality, too.  All she got from me was my hair and womens' intuition.  I've told her many things about her daddy.  She longed to meet him.  It almost killed her when I told her the news."

"Why isn't she here?" Remus asked.

"She…couldn't bring herself to come.  She wanted to desperately, but she couldn't.  For all these years, I've been living off the fact that Sirius was alive and would meet his daughter someday.  I've tried so many times to come to London.  But when you have to tell a child that they will never see their father, it's heart breaking."  There was a long pause.  After a while, Mel lifted her mug and said, "Here's to drowning out our sorrows."

Remus picked up his mug as well, and tapped it to Mel's.  After they each took a long drink, Mel got up and left.

------------------------------

Harry stared at his empty shot glass, only thinking.  It had been a year since Sirius's death, but he was still wallowing in a pit of depression.  Now this funeral was caving in on him, creating a trap.  He almost wished for it to end.

"_I'm sorry, Padfoot_," he whispered.  "_But I just can't take it without you here._"

His eyes began to fill with small tears, but he refused to let them fall.  The great Harry Potter couldn't afford to cry…

"The last time I checked, you weren't old enough to drink," came a soft, familiar voice.

Harry turned around.  He knew who that was, for he'd seen her only a few months ago…But she was many years younger…

"Mel?!"

"Look, I completely understand why you're drinking alcohol, but being a mother, I would be a horrible person if I let you have any more."  Mel smiled at the seventeen year old.  It had been only a few months for him, but it was decades for her…

"But you're dead!  How can this be poss-"

"Please, I don't think I could go through the story again.  Just know that I'm alive, well, and standing right in front of you.  If you want details, just ask Remus."

Harry calmed down from the shock a little and looked Mel directly in the eyes.  "So – you…have a kid?"

"Yeah, a daughter.  She's one year younger than you.  She'll actually be going to Hogwarts this year.  And we'll be living there, until Dumbledore says otherwise."

"Wow, that – that's great!"  Harry, despite his desperate attempt to be cheery, still looked and felt melancholy.

"Harry, have you been doing all right?  You seem…different."

"Actually, I've been horrible.  I've gotten these urges to just hurt myself.  Hermione says it's post-traumatic depression.  I don't know, it seems more…intense than just that.  I guess all the trauma from over the years has finally caught up with me."

"But you've never thought of actually…killing yourself, did you?"  Mel bit her lip, growing worried.

Harry looked down at the floor, and then buried his head in his hands.  "No, I've never really thought about it much…though I can't deny that there are times where I've thought that…maybe…it might help everyone if I just died, you know?  No more people getting hurt protecting me, and I've never really succeeded in keeping off Voldemort for long without my mum's help.  Now that he can touch me, I don't know what use I am."  Tears began to fill his already bloodshot eyes.

Mel reached over and grabbed his hand.  "Look, Harry, you are the most important person there is to us right now.  If you had died, we wouldn't be thinking of Voldemort.  We would be thinking of how we let you down.  We all love you, Harry, and your well-being is all that matters.  Do not waste yourself.  Every life is worth living, no matter how torn, dirty, or neglected it may be.  And what is life if you're able to mend it every time it gets a little tear?"

Harry seemed to look a little better.  "Thanks, Mel.  I needed that."

"Hey, what are Godmothers for?"  Mel slowly stood up.  "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must be off.  Vanessa and I have loads of packing to do."  She then looked Harry in the eye.  "Besides, I don't know how long I'll be able to hold up here."

"I know exactly how you feel."

Mel then turned and left for the Muggle airport.  Her heart was heavy, but at least she could stand straight with it now, instead of having to drag it all over the earth.


	3. Desire for the Unknown

Disclaimer:  I do not own Harry Potter, etc., etc.  I own my stuff, JK owns hers.  

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

BURN THE RUM:  Yes, I read her story, and it was sweet!  She's the one who Will is obsessed with, right?  Besides Lizzie McGuire, that is :).  And, I think I told you in a review, but just in case, the academy awards are on abc on the 29th of February.  I've been getting a fan support group for Johnny (all of my friends are pretty much backing him up – along with about 100,000,000 other people!).  And POTC is nominated for FIVE academy awards (LOTR is also nominated for best picture – fingers crossed!).  Yep, definitely watching them.  Everything about Mel will be explained later.  Vanessa will also have some stuff to tell.  There are going to be a few different stories going on in this fic (one of them circling around Remus), so keep on a look out for how they come together!

Writingangel203:  Oh, Neli, just come out and say it.  YOU PRACTICALLY ARE BRITISH!!!  Thanks for leavin' the love in the review.  Tell Liz I said hi.  Hey, you know what happens!  So why are you reading this?  Hehehehehehe

Siriusforeva:  Hmmm…interesting topic, I knew that was going to come up.  Well, a lot of stuff is going to happen between Harry and Vanessa.  Will it be what you hope for?  Keep reading and find out!

_Mel walked through the darkened clouds.  They were a pure black, as if someone had poured ink at its core, and let the flowing blackness spread.  She looked up at the sky.  It was a deep purple with a hint of pale pink (much like a sky after snow has fallen).  Mel stared at the bright stars.  Her eyes fixed upon the brightest one._

_"Sirius…" she whispered._

_There was a noise.  A small pop, if you will.  She stared across the clouds to see a dark figure standing perfectly still.  Melissa wasn't able to see his face, for he was too far away.  Then, a sudden feeling swept over her.  A feeling of yearning, desperate want…desire.  Her heart pounded loudly in her chest, and beads of sweat began to form along her hairline.  This feeling hadn't been with her for so long._

_She took a step closer, but as soon as her foot touched the surface, the figure ran off.  She tried to run after him, but she accidentally stepped through what seemed to be a hole.  She fell fast towards the lights of the city under her, but she didn't scream…_

Mel woke up, tearstains on her cheeks.  She sat upright quickly, and looked around the room, as if searching for the dark figure.  Finally, her eyes rested upon her wedding goblet, half full of wine.

"Oh, I should know better than to drink before sleeping."

She slowly lay back down, pondering her strange dream.  Who was the figure?  She already thought she knew the answer to that question…  What kind of dream was that?  It felt so…real.  In fact, she was shaking from the aftermath of her desiring feelings.  Oh, she just wanted to get back to sleep…

Knock.  Knock.

"Mum!  Mum, are you alright?"

"Yes, Vanessa, I'm ok.  Come in."

The door opened, and in stepped a beautiful 16-year-old girl, almost the spitting image of Sirius, except for a lot of womanly features.  Her long, dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail.

"What made you think I was in trouble?" asked Melissa.

"Well, I heard you crying.  I thought, maybe you were having another bad dream…you know…about Dad."

"N-no, it's ok," she said quickly.  "That's funny.  I never cried in my dream…"

"Anyway," continued Vanessa, "I just wanted to check on you, because you seem, well, depressed lately."

"Trust me, honey, I'm fine.  It's just stress, that's all."

"Ok," Vanessa said as she left, still not quite believing her mother.

"Well," said Melissa, as she turned over to go back to sleep, "it's going to be a crazy year."  She fell asleep, almost wishing for her dream to come back.

------------------------------

"All aboard the Hogwarts Express!  The train leaves in exactly 5 minutes!"  The man controlling "traffic" blew his whistle to give a warning to those not yet boarded.

"Hurry up, Mum, we're going to miss the train," squealed an excited Vanessa.  She was carrying about five bags in her arms, and pushing a trollie full of them at the same time.  Despite this physically impossible task, she was able to run as fast as her legs could carry her.  Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Melissa.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm carrying about two thousand more bags than you are, and you've got the only trollie."  You see, Melissa and Vanessa had made, in very bad judgment, the decision that they only needed one cart.  In hindsight, Mel knew it wasn't one of her smartest moves.

As they staggered along as best they could, a boy of about 16 years old called out to them.

"Oy!  Those are the Blacks!  I saw them in the newspaper."

Ever since the funeral, word had gotten out that Mel was still alive, and had a 16-year-old daughter.  Even the Daily Prophet had managed to make it to America before they moved to sneak a snapshot of them.  Dumbledore had sent them a copy of the article.  Anyway, Mel and Vanessa chose to ignore the boy and keep walking.  But the lad wouldn't give up so easily.

"In my opinion," he said loud enough to make sure Mel and Vanessa could hear, "it wasn't one of Fudge's smartest moves to clear Black's name.  The man was a bloody liar and a traitor.  I don't care what stupid Harry Potter or Dumbledore says.  I don't believe a single word of it."

Vanessa stopped dead in her tracks.  "What did you say?"

"Oh, you're going to get mad at me now?  What're you going to do, kick me?  Or are you going to be like your Dad and run to You-Know-Who to plot my downfall?"

Ness dropped all her baggage and walked right up to the boy.  He was displaying a sinister smirk.

"If you're so tough, why don't you say _Voldemort's_ name to my face?"

"Oh, I thought the offspring of his followers weren't allowed to use his name.  Then again, neither were his actual followers."

"You son of a – "

"Now, now is that any way for a lady to talk?"

By this time, Vanessa was enraged, her hands clenched into fists.  "Why don't you tell me?"

"Oh, is the little girl mad?"  He stepped closer.  "Go on, hit me."

As her hand reeled back, Melissa screamed, "Vanessa, NO!"  But it was too late.  Vanessa's rock hard fist collided with the boy's jaw, and he fell down.  She got on her knees and punched him repeatedly in the stomach.

Two strong wizards had to come and pull her off, and as they dragged her towards the train, she yelled, "IF I EVER HEAR YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT MY FATHER AGAIN, I'LL…"

But the men threw her into the train car before she could finish.  Melissa joined her after a few minutes.  Soon, the train began pulling away from the station.

Vanessa didn't look up.  She hung her head low, almost ashamed.  She'd promised herself that things like this would never happen again, but then this happened.  Would she ever redeem herself from her old ways?

"I'm sorry, Mum," she said, her voice quiet.  "You made sure we would be able to get to Hogwarts and live a safer life.  And then I had to go and blunder it all up."

"That is true, Ness, I did make sure we would get to Hogwarts to rid ourselves of all this.  I'm not saying what you did was right…"

A tear trickled down Vanessa's cheek.

"…But he deserved it."

She looked up.  Was this really her mother speaking?

"However – "

Oh well, so much for that.  
  


"This is our last chance.  Dumbledore was gracious enough to let us live at Hogwarts.  And after all he's done for us, we can't repay him like this.  We just can't.  You understand, right?"

"Yes," she said in a near whisper.  He thoughts hadn't been entirely with her mother.  There was just something that the boy had said that she couldn't get out of her mind.

_"Or are you…going to run to You-Know-Who and plot my down fall?"_

More tears trickled down, and soon she fell asleep.

-----------------------

By the time they reached Hogwarts, news had already buzzed around about Vanessa's little incident with the boy.  She'd already grown quite the reputation with the kids, seeing as how she was so new, and on her first day she beat the crap out of one of the vainest students.  The boy's friends got quite the kick out of it, actually.

Anyway, when they arrived there, Vanessa was led to Dumbledore's office, where she was to be sorted.  She sat on a hard stool, the raggedy old hat sat upon her head.

_"Aha, a Black.  I haven't seen one of you in a while.  I see tragedy caused that…  Ah, you are very courageous, which can be rare nowadays.  You've got a very outgoing personality."_  The hat paused.  _"Yet, your scars run deep."_

Vanessa's eyes fell to her left hand.  There was a faint, but visible mark across her palm.  It was a long line, going diagonal.

_"Not just those, dear child.  You've got scars and battle wounds inside of you…  One's that'll never fully heal.  But you've kept a brave face, and you remain tough.  You've managed to keep a smile despite all your setbacks.  For this, you deserve no less than GRYFFINDOR!"_

Vanessa pulled the hat off her head and quickly wiped a few tears off her cheek before Dumbledore could see.

"Well, Miss Black, you should head up to your room.  I've already summoned someone to help you find your way.  You will see him as you step out."  Dumbledore motioned towards the door.

Vanessa felt an odd sensation creep through her when the Professor looked directly in her eyes.  She felt as though he bore into her thoughts.  Despite his cheery tone, there was no smile upon his face.  His mind must've been elsewhere…

She stepped out of the office to find a seventh year, his head hung, almost in shame.

"Er, we'll show you the, er, way to Gryffindor T-tower," said the boy.

"I know who you are," Vanessa whispered slowly.

The boy lifted up his jet-black head of hair, and stared at her with his startling green eyes.  "I know."

God, what was Dumbledore thinking, making him do this?  She would hate him…  This was just too much to bear.  He was tired of being burdened.

Harry led Vanessa down the long corridors, and finally to the portrait of the fat lady.

"Password?" she said with a yawn.  The two had obviously disturbed her nap.

"Oh, er, Marauders," mumbled Harry.

Vanessa flinched upon hearing the term "marauders".  They entered the common room.

"If you go up those stairs, a girl named Hermione will help you get settled."  Harry had wanted to ask her something, but he was too preoccupied to question her, until now.  "Why did you hurt Adam?"

"Adam?" she asked with a puzzled expression.  "Who's Adam?"

"Adam Galway.  He's a Gryffindor from Ireland.  You beat the crap out of him at King's Cross."

"_Him?_  How the hell did he become a Gryffindor?"  
  


"What are you talking about?"

"Well, Adam's got to be the rudest, most disrespectful person I've ever had to absolute displeasure of meeting," she said with a scowl.

"Are you kidding?  There's nothing wrong with Adam!  From what he says, you insulted him, and when he fired back, you just punched the living daylights out of him."

"I thought that – he – you would have done exactly the same thing!"

"I don't think so.  I've gone through way too much to do something like that on the first day of school.  That's just dumb."

"Oh, you've gone through too much, have you?" Vanessa said in a sort of hurt voice, yet still very sly.  "Don't think for one second that you are the only burdened person at this school, Harry Potter."  She turned to step out of the common room without even going to her room, but before she left, she yelled back to Harry, "Let's see if you can contain yourself next time someone insults _your_ father!"  And with that, she was gone.

"_What?!_"  There was no way the Adam he knew would say anything about Sirius.  Oh God, what was happening?

------------------------

"Hey, ADAM!"

A boy with neat brown hair and nice hazel eyes turned around.  _Not bad looking,_ thought Vanessa.  _Too bad he's a jerk._

"Yes?" he said.

"Who the bloody hell do you think you are?  Why are you telling people that I just attacked you for no reason?" cried Vanessa.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" he asked, a clueless look on his face.

"What are you – YOU INSULTED MY DEAD FATHER!"

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to class."  And he turned on his heel and walked off.

"YOU BLOODY JERK!" Vanessa screamed, hot tears of rage on her face.  She stormed off, hands clenched into fists.

----------------------

Vanessa had been at Hogwarts for a few weeks, and she had let her happier personality slip out more and more.  Harry was beginning to find her a bit intriguing.  She seemed to be this fiery girl with just a love for life.  Most times, she was clever to a fault.  Her wits could beat that of a seventh year!  But she had this deep, dark side that only Harry and Adam had ever seen (except, of course, for Melissa).  And Harry was burning to find that secret out.  It might help him to understand more about Sirius's death.

He grabbed his wand and headed for the common room.  He raced down the stairs, not knowing exactly what he was going to do.  But as he saw her sitting on the couch reading over her homework, he figured it all out.

"Harry, what are you-"

But before she could finish, Harry pointed his wand at her and muttered the spell.  The nest thing her knew, he was racing through the memories of Vanessa Black.  

A/N:  You're probably thinking that's an odd place to stop, right?  Well, it'll be easier with the next chapter.  Anyway, I'm sorry about the late update, but my schedule is PACKED.  I've got tests, Dessert Theater, more school, and a bunch of other stuff.  Sorry, it might take a little bit for the next update, but I'll try my absolute best!!


	4. We Never Knew

Disclaimer:  I do not own Harry Potter, because JKR does.  Go her!  Oh, and there is a small _Danny the Champion of the World _(by Roald Dahl) reference, because Vanessa's old teachers were living partly in the past (you'll see).

Thanks, reviewers!

BURN THE RUM:  Oh, that does suck, but I hope you had fun at the play!  And I hope the clock won't hurt your neck!  I know the whole Adam thing is confusing, but I PROMISE that it will be explained!  JOHNNY SUPPORTERS UNITE!!!!!  And about Moulin Rouge:  If you loved reading the script, you'll adore the actual movie!  The scenery is beautiful (so is Ewan McGregor!).  Oh, yeah, and tell Lizzie to update!

Writingangel203:  HERE HERE HERE HERE HERE!!  *Smoke on your pipe and put that in*  Remember, Neli, FEEL PRETTY!

Siriusforeva:  Will Vanessa be pissed?  Will Harry find out anything?  Why am I asking questions?  Well, find out nnnnnnnnnow (sorry for the corny joke…)!

Harry seemed as if all of Vanessa's memories came rushing past him like a rough wind.  He was caught up and spinning through her complicated thoughts.  Then, just as suddenly as it came, it stopped.

He was looking at an office in an old muggle school.  There was a little girl, no older than seven, standing in front of a desk.  A tall man who looked to be in his forties sat behind the desk.  _Principal_, Harry thought.

"Well," he said, "what exactly do you have to say for yourself?"

The little girl looked both shy and frightened.  She spoke in a soft voice.  "I didn't mean to."

_"You didn't mean to?"_  He got up, hands clenched into fists.  "Oh, so the matches just lit themselves, then?"

"I didn't have matches," the girl said in a louder voice.

"So what are you saying?  Are you going to tell me you didn't do it?"

"No, I –"

"Well, enough's enough.  You've caused too much trouble in this school.  We've tried to get you help, but you crackpot mother says there's nothing wrong with you.  That it's all _'natural'_."

The girl got up, her eyes full of rage.  Harry had never seen any girl that young with eyes like that.  "What did you say about my mother?" she spat.

The man did not answer her.

The girl continued.  "Maybe if the other kids at your stupid school wouldn't hurt me, than I wouldn't be causing so much trouble!"

"NO LYING IN MY SCHOOL!"  The man got up and grabbed a long wooden stick.

The girl, who had been standing so fearless, seemed to get a bit of anxiety in her eyes.  The man stepped in front of her.

"Hold out your hand," he said.

Slowly, the girl brought her hand out, ready for the consequences.  The man brought the stick down hard across the girl's palm.  As the point hit her skin, a single tear dripped from her eye and down her cheek.

"Now go," the man said as he pointed to the door.

As the girl left the room, Harry noticed a small crack in the window that hadn't been there before.

The next few memories came.  First, there was a slightly older girl in the hallways of a school.  She walked down them, carrying her books.

"FREAK!" yelled a few of the people walking by.  "GO BACK HOME!  YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!"

The girl ran down the halls and into the nearest classroom.

The next memory came. There was a thirteen-year-old girl walking down past an alley in a muggle city.  Judging from how she looked in the past memories and how she looked now, it seemed as though the girl had cleaned herself up a bit and had gotten on a better track.

"Hey, I know you," came a voice from behind the shadows.  

She turned in a fast spin, having been surprised at the yell.  As her dark eyes fixed upon the boy who'd spoken, they grew wide.  She stumbled back a little, and turned, obviously not wanting to stay.

"HEY!" he yelled.  "I'M TALKING TO YOU!"  He ran in front and stopped her.  "You used to go to my school.  Yes, you were the crazy one…the outsider…everyone was quite glad to be rid of you, actually.  Especially after what happened with the desk…"

"It was an accident," she said, quivering.

"Yeah, right.  Nothing like that could ever be done on accident.  You didn't deserve to walk among us!"

The girl's eyes became enflamed again, as they had in the first memory Harry had witnessed.  "YOU didn't deserve to be with ME!  Everyone at that school thought they had the right to hurt me the way they did…and YOU were the worst!"  She clapped her hand to her mouth in a way that seemed to say, _'I shouldn't have said that, I shouldn't have said that…'_

The boy, now sharing the same expression of rage as the girl, grabbed her arm and brought her close to him.

"Your memory must be poor.  You wouldn't talk to me that way if you remembered what I did."

"You threatened me with a baseball bat…and carried out the notion," she said, a bit more quietly.

"Well, seeing as how you can recall me, let's finish our little 'conversation', shall we?"

The girl hadn't had time to answer, for the boy grabbed her shoulders and had thrust her away from him.  Her head banged into the brick wall of the alley.  She shrieked and fell the ground, unconscious, blood trickling down the side of her head.  The boy stepped toward her, and what he did next, Harry didn't find out, for he was soon taken to the next memory…a very recent one in fact.

The girl, now 16 was running up the stairs of her home.  "Mum, I'm home from seeing Professor Belfast.  She said – "

She shushed up as she opened the door to her mother's room.  And who was sitting on the bed, but none other than…Melissa. 

"Mum, is everything alright?" asked Vanessa, almost hesitantly as she walked further into the room.

"H-he's dead," she whispered.  Her eyes were wet and swollen, traces of tears lined her cheeks.  She was shaking ever so slightly, holding a letter in her hands.

Vanessa, not saying a word, ran from the room.  Harry knew very well who was dead, but did not see what happened next, for he came rushing back to the Gryffindor common room.

His wand was held very loosely in his hand, but he was focusing on Vanessa's expression.  Her eyes held a small trace of hurt, but she seemed to be more afraid, and, well, shaken.  She was shivering, and she soon knelt down and put her face in her hands.  Harry was about to try to console her, but he thought better of it, and left. 

As soon as Harry's footsteps faded even from the echoes of the school hallways, Vanessa keeled over as her vision faded to black in front of the dancing and sputtering fire.

----------------------------

Adam Galway gently picked his head up from the table placed in the middle of the boys' dormitory.  His skull ached for he reasons he hadn't known.  He looked around, almost confused of where he was, until his senses returned to him.  He spotted an empty bottle of butterbeer lay on its side next to him.

"Damn Slytherins must've spiked it," he whispered.  _Or maybe that Vanessa girl_, he thought.  What had she been talking about before, anyway?   What did anything he'd ever said had to do with Sirius Black?  After seeing how depressed Harry was after his death, he never would've touched the subject.  Especially Black's own daughter.  She'd been giving him death glares and tears ever since she got here.  _Too bad she's pretty_,he thought._ I wouldn't be in so much torture if she looked like a second Millicent Bullstrode…_

"OW!"

Adam had reached back and touched what seemed to be a bump the size of Ireland on the back of his head.  Maybe the butterbeer hadn't been spiked after all…in fact, he hadn't even remembered drinking one in the past week…

He picked up the bottle and sniffed the top of it.  There was definitely a hint of firewhiskey in there.  More than a hint, actually.  But if he didn't drink it, who would plant it near him to make himself – or anyone else, for that matter – think he'd just had a wild night out?  Whatever it was, it probably had something to do with the bump on his head.

He got up and brushed himself off.  In the middle of performing this task, he noticed something on his hand…something engraved in his hand…

"The Dark Lord is near…The Dark Lord is near…Mudbloods beware…" 

"What the – "

"Adam, hey ADAM!" called Dean Thomas, one of his close friends.

A little startled, Adam shoved his hand into his robes just as Dean entered the room.

"Adam, did you manage to hear when the next Quidditch match was going to be?"

-----------------------

"Sirius, I know you're here!" Melissa screamed at the stars.  She was standing on top of the familiar ink clouds she once stood on many weeks ago.  "I saw you!  Come out here!"

Silence.

"Please…" she said in a dead whisper.

Still silence.

Mel gently crouched down and began to sob.  She was sad, confused, angry.  For several weeks, she'd been obsessing over the dark figure she'd seen in her dreams.  And now she was dreaming again, and screaming for her dead husband.  And why did he have to be her _dead_ husband?  It was like she was going mad…  But as they say, nothing in life is ever fair.

"Why are you here?" came a still voice.

Mel looked up and stared into a pair of distant, dark eyes.  She slowly stood up calmly, and quietly.

"Why do you think?" she said.  She stared for a long time at him, a smile gathering slowly to his face.  "I'm here for you, Sirius.  Is a wife not aloud to look upon her husband?"

"Still the same fiery woman.  Oh, Mel…"

"Sirius…" She approached him, about to throw her arms around his neck when he backed away sharply.

"You can't touch me," he said.

"And why not?" asked Mel, clearly irritated.

"It's…complicated," he answered.  Clearly he was dissapointed, too.

There was a long silence.  It lasted until Sirius's words finally penetrated it.

"I waited for you to come running to me," he said softly.  "It was surprising to find that you weren't there…"

"Sirius, I – "

"No, Mel, trust me, I'd rather you were alive and well."

"But I'm not well.  Not at all!"

"But just look at Vanessa, Mel.  She's beautiful…"

"That's just it, Sirius, I've failed.  She's had a terrible life.  She was abused by her teachers and classmates for six years, until I could finally get her into Magic school.  She suffered, she – oh, it was awful.  She went through these…fazes that would consume her – body and soul.  She had so many problems; I started fearing the worst…until she was finally able to go to the Wizarding School.  Her life started to pick up and take shape.  She was doing well for herself.  But now…"

There was a pause.

"Now what, my love?" asked Sirius

"Well, I had told her many stories of you, and…I'd always relied on the hope that we'd find you one day.  I just wanted to hold my husband at least once more.  I wanted Vanessa to see you…she wanted to see you…  And now nothing can go right for any of us, can it?"  She began to yell.  "NO, NOTHING CAN EVER STAY GOOD FOR THE CURSED GIRL AND HER DAUGHTER!"

Sirius was starting to see the point.  _Oh dear God…_

"You still have to take the potion, then…"

"Of course I do, Sirius," she said through hot tears.  "It's g-getting worse.  It hurts so much more.  Before I only relived the nightmares, but now I can feel the scar re-opening.  It's like a dagger is dug into my back, and I can feel it outline the cut.  I fear if I keep taking it, it'll k-kill me…"

"But if you stop taking it, you'll die!"

"Doesn't leave me much of a choice."

"Look, if Dumbledore tells you to keep taking it, keep taking it."

"I'm tired of listening to Dumbledore!"  Frustration began consuming Mel.  "He doesn't know what it's like!  It's not just the cuts re-opening, Sirius!  I get…feelings now from it.  There are voices all around me.  _'I love you,'_ they say over and over again.  _'Marry me,' 'I do…' _Then they start screaming, _'YOUR FAULT!!'  'Death awaits him.!'  'Coward!'  'Everything is your fault…' _I can't take it anymore, Sirius.  It's killing me."

"Mel, I – "

"Do you know how your presence haunted me?  I knew my husband was going to die, and there was nothing that could be done…  And I've destroyed my daughter's life, too.  I'm too unstable, Sirius!"  She sat for a while, crying out her sorrows.  Once she had settled down (which took a very long time), Sirius spoke.

"You haven't ruined Vanessa.  She's gorgeous, thriving, and she's as brave as Gryffindor, himself.  Trust me, Mel, she's happy."

These words seemed to calm Melissa quite a bit.  Her husband had always known how to charm her…

"You should see her, baby, she's just like you."

"I know, I say once again: she's gorgeous."  Sirius developed a broad smile.  She was finally laughing, or at least giggling.  "I love you, Mel."

"Why do you tease me?" she said.

"How am I – "

"You taunt me with words, Sirius.  You say 'I love you,' yet I can't hold or touch you.  It's like hanging a piece of meat just out of a dog's reach."  Despite her words, she gave him a small grin.

And he grinned, too.

------------------------------

"Ness, wake up!"

Vanessa fluttered her eyes open to someone gently tapping and shaking her.  She felt disconnected with herself.  That is, until she realized who was shaking her, then her spirit came flooding back.

"Are you okay?" asked Harry.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, it's just – the heat got to me, that's all."  She got up to leave the common room.  "I need to get some fresh air."  As she turned to leave, Harry stopped her.

"Hey, I was just wondering, about what I saw – "

"Oh, Harry, not now, not here."

"Ok, well, do you want to talk some time?  I could tell you need to get some stuff off your chest, and well, so do I.  It could help."

Vanessa was about to turn him down when she saw the look on his face.  It seemed to beg her to agree to this.  Maybe he really did need to talk about some things…things about Sirius…

"All right, sure," she said, less cool than she had meant it to sound.  "Room of Requirement next Saturday?"

"Hey, how did you – "

"My mom tells me a lot more about my dad's adventures than the teachers at this school would like her to," Vanessa said, with a keen little smirk.

"Sounds great," answered Harry.

Vanessa walked right out of the portrait hole and walked towards the door to the grounds.  It was a very warm day, but she found some solace in the shade underneath a tree.  She needed to think some things over.

Through all the weeks at school, Harry and Vanessa had never really gotten to know each other.  They were more like acquaintances.  They never ran up to each other to talk about how killer Snape's potions exam was, or how beautiful the weather outside had been, but if they ever passed each other in the halls, they would smile and nod to acknowledge one another.  She never really understood why they hadn't talked much.  Seeing as how they had one very big connection.  In reality, they had loads to talk about.

"That's why you're going to meet him in the Room of Requirement on Saturday," she soliloquized out loud.

She laid herself down and stretched out her arms.  All this warm and misty air was bringing heavy fatigue to her eyes.  She closed them and began to drift off, when she heard a large crash come from Hagrid's hut.  She got up and ran straight for the door.  She pulled at the handle and, surprisingly, it was unlocked.

"Hagrid, are you alright?"

"Oh, 'ello Miss Black.  Yeh, I'm fine.  Just lookin' fer me pocket knife.  It's quite large, I don' see 'ow I couldda missplaced it," came Hagrid's gruff voice.

Vanessa let out a sigh.  Ever since Vanessa's first day at the school, when she got lost and Hagrid helped her, she'd grown very fond of him.  He was like the biggest best friend a person could ever wish for.  In truth, she confided in him quite a bit.

"Oh, thank God.  I thought you'd gotten hurt."

"No, no, I'm ok.  I'm just lookin' fer the knife.  I need it since 'alloween is next week, and I always use it ter carve the pumpkins.  But with this unusual 'ot wind, I wouldn't be surprised if they turned ter mush in me 'ands."

Vanessa giggled a little.

"Yeah, and I've been trying to get this bloodstain out 'o' the side door panel.  I musta scraped me elbow on it er sumthin'. "

Vanessa examined the blood stain closely.  It was high up, maybe a little further than her head.  Not an unusual place for Hagrid to hit HIS elbow.

"Well, Hagrid, I wish I could help, but I've got to go see if Mum's gotten up yet."

He looked up.  "Oh?  You mean she still 'ain't awake?"

"No, I think she indulged herself in a little wine before hitting the sack."

"Oh," he said.  "Well, if you see Dumbledore, tell 'im to send one 'o' me extra knives down."

"See you later, Hagrid," she said, closing the door.

She rushed across the field and into the castle.  She quickly ran up to the Gryffindor common room, said the password hastily, and ran behind the stairs leading to the girls' dormitories.  There was a door behind them, leading to the room where Melissa slept.  She quietly opened the door and creeped in.

"Mum," she said as she gently tapped the sleeping Melissa.  "Mum, get up."

Mel had a small smile on her face.  Her eyes slowly opened.

"Vanessa?" she yawned, leisurely sitting up.  "I'm sorry, I must've – "

She stopped dead in the middle of her sentence, her eyes fixated on something.  Vanessa turned and noticed what was carved in the wood above the doorway.

_"Filthy Blood."_

There was a knife sticking out of the wood next to it.

"Well," said Vanessa, hesitantly, "we've found Hagrid's knife."


	5. If I Do Say So Myself

Disclaimer:  I do not own Harry Potter…oh, you guys have heard this a million times already.  JK Rowling rocks and I would never dream of claiming anything by her as my own.  Now that that's been said…

BURN THE RUM:  Well, it's nice to hear you had fun at the play (and that the clock was easy to get used to).  I just finished a play at my school and I had loads of fun (then again, doesn't everybody when you get a chance to do what you love to do…and then there's food at the cast party?).  By the way, what play did you do?  Anyway, it's kind of Secret Window-like (if only Johnny were here…), but it'll be a little different.  Yes, there are things worse out there than Moulin Rouge.  It actually really doesn't show as much, and it's a story about *love*, basically Satine's journey to sidestep her sinful ways.  Anyway, enough of my rambling.  Enjoy the chappie!

Writingangel203:  Hey, Nelister!!  It should be NeliSTAR!!!  Hehehe…anyway, lot's 'o' good stuff happens (hopefully), and the special "night" in the dreams is coming up.  Did I tell you about that already…anyway…I'm going to go on the market for a beta-reader soon, so this is a heads up.  Well, enjoy!

Siriusforeva:  Thanks…I think…is that good or bad?  Lol…hope you enjoy the chapter!

_"Oh, come on!  Where the hell is that door?  Oh, finally!"_

Vanessa found the door that had instantly materialized in front of her.  She placed her fingers upon the cool knob and twisted it.  She peeked her head in slowly, as if to make sure it was ok to come in.  _Why are you being so cautious?_ she thought.  _Who else is going to be in here besides Harry?_  In fact, Harry had not arrived yet to the Room of Requirement.

She paced around, admiring the illuminated room, due to the midnight-blue lamps that hung suspended in midair.  Because of their color, the room seemed to be a light azure, which happened to be Vanessa's favorite color.  The surroundings were so serene, that she felt she wouldn't hear any of the words that came out of her mouth when she explained to Harry about her past.  She didn't mean to feel a thing when that time came.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Vanessa jumped and spun around to see Harry closing the door.

"Oh, no, I haven't been here five minutes," she said.  They stood there merely looking at each other for a few minutes.  She'd thought this would be easy and that it wouldn't take very long at all.  But as she stood there in the Room of Requirement, trying to find some starting words, she knew this would be nothing like she thought it would be.

"Well, er…I guess we should get started," Harry stuttered.  He was shaking ever so slightly.

"Are you kidding?  Not without a bit of comfort."  As Vanessa said these words, two soft blue couches appeared, facing each other.  She smiled weakly at Harry, as if to say, _"I was only kidding…But then again, I had forgotten that this was the Room of Requirement."_  She walked over to one of the couches fell into it, lying down in a very comfortable position.  Harry just sat down in the middle of the other couch.

"So," he began, "why don't you start."

"Ok," she said, clearing her throat.  "Ask away."

Harry gave her a puzzled look at first, but then decided to just ask the questions.  "What was with all those people hurting you?"

"Well, I don't know if it was as bad as you what you saw.  I mean, you saw basically all the worst things."  
  


_You mean there were more?!_

"Well, anyway," she continued, "ever since my mother's 'death', we've had to go into a sort of exile, trying to steer clear of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.  We had to go around using the name Blaine instead of Black.  So, for the years I needed schooling before witchcraft, I was sent to a muggle school, like you were.  Of course, seeing as how you and I are a witch and wizard, we act differently than most other kids.  Differently meaning if muggles get really jubilant or angry, they may jump up and down excitedly or throw something.  But we use more of a 'Carrie' technique.  And seeing as how I was a witch and they didn't know that, they didn't quite take my anger too kindly.  So, ever since I was six, I got teased and tormented by all the kids, even the teachers.  Sometimes they would kick me if I happened to make one of their juices spill, or their candy fall out of a new hole made in their pockets."

"But what was with the whole 'matches' thing?" Harry interrupted.

"Oh, that.  Well, that happened when I was in first grade.  We were having a little 'story time', and my teacher read us a tale about a young fairy that was born with only one wing.  As a result, she couldn't fly.  And while all the other little fairies were flying around and playing games, she was left out and was miserable.  They often taunted her, to the point where she couldn't bear it anymore.  She ran, not flew, away and never returned.  The other fairies began to miss her and regretted their wicked ways.  It was kind of one of those corny fantasy tragedies that people read to little kids.  Anyway, when the teacher had finished reading, I offered my own little input.  I said that the fairy shouldn't have run away, and instead should have stuck up for herself.  My teacher disagreed with my opinion, though.  She stated, 'Well, she was an outsider.  It's better that she ran away if she couldn't endure a bit of mockery.  You can't blame them for teasing her.'  'How do you know she couldn't stand up for herself?' I asked.  'Maybe her cruel mates never gave her the chance.  Teasing is a very harsh thing.'  'Oh, please.  Words cannot hurt.'  'What about when they threw her around up in the air?  That was pretty mean.'  'She was puny, weak, and stupid.  She was incapable of protecting herself.  There was only fairness in their ridicules, not torment,' she had said through gritted teeth, clearly mad at me for defying her.  Well, obviously I got really mad, so I stood up and yelled, 'HOW WOULD YOU KNOW WHAT TORMENT WAS?'  I kind of moody."

"What happened next?" asked Harry eagerly.

To his surprise, Vanessa chuckled.  "Her purse caught on fire.  All I remember are her bulging eyes of flame as she dragged me to the principal's office.  Funny," she said as she observed her hand, "after all these years, it's as clear as ever."

Harry identified the long scarlet scar across her palm.

"Anyway, my mother transferred me to new school.  Well, as you can guess, I kept getting mocked and ridiculed, so I kept getting transferred.  Only, as I got older, the taunting got worse.  There was now real physical pain, and an overload of emotional twinge.  I was known as the freak, outcast, temperamental bitch, whatever you want to call it.  You name it, I was that.  Not that they actually knew if I _really_ was all those things.  As long as they had someone to prey on, right?  Well, it was getting so awful that I started going through these fazes that consisted of wearing all black, crying all the time, and let's not forget yelling at everybody.  I mean, do you know just how low my self-esteem was?"

"So, you had a severe case of depression."

"Well, depression was kind of the root of it all.  I mean, it got to a point where I could never feel good about myself unless I shoved my finger down my throat."

"You were _what?!_"

"They didn't just attack my temper, Harry."

"Well, what was with the whole desk and baseball bat thing?"

"Oh, one day when I was like eleven or so, I heard these boys talking about me in a not so flattering way.  Well, to make a long story short, I approached them, told them off, they provoked me, and in the end, one of their desks broke in half.  The one with the baseball bat happened to be a couple years older than me, and one of his friends was in the group of boys.  So he followed me on my walk home after school to 'teach me a lesson on breaking other people's things.'  He hit me on the shoulder, and I still have a small mark from it.  It hurt, but at least the bastard doesn't have a baseball bat anymore," she said with a satisfactory grin.

"Wow, you've been through quite a lot, and you were so young…"

"Eh, it wasn't as bad as I'm making it sound.  It's not like my whole life was full of dark corners and lonely shadows.  I had a few friends.  My mum was always helpful, and I always had her stories of Dad to find refuge in.  Yeah, it wasn't all sunflowers and daisies, but I still had my share of happy times.  But I judging from you expression, it wouldn't knock your socks off if I told you I had a tattoo," she said this last part with a large smirk.

"Do you really?"

"Yeah, two.  But relax; I didn't get my first one until I was fourteen.  My second one I got after Dad died.  Be quiet, though, my mum only knows about one of them.  You see, my life began to take shape a couple years after I entered magic school.  I surrounded by people with the same gift I had.  But, obviously, it took a while before I could get back on track.  I mean, those things just don't disappear like that.  But I had this great Professor – Belfast was her name – who helped me a lot."

"What are they of?"

"What?"

"Your tattoos."

"Oh, yeah.  Well, the one I got after Dad died is on my hip, and it's the Chinese symbol for 'eternity.'  The other one is on my shoulder where the boy hit me."

"What is it?"

"A fairy."

After a few moments of contemplation, Vanessa let out a whole-hearty laugh.  "Well, is that all you wanted to know?"

"Well, yeah, except…what happened with the boy in the alley?"

Vanessa's expression changed.  She shook her head and said, "No, that stays with me."

"Oh, alright.  Wow, we've been here for a while.  We'd better get back before dinner starts."  Harry got up and walked to the door, but before he opened it, he turned back to Vanessa, who had gotten up as well and was walking to the door, and asked, "By the way, how's Mel?"

"She's doing fine," Vanessa said, coming up next to him.  "She's been unusually happy these past few days.  Hey, when are we going to talk about _you_?"

"Next time."  And with that, they left the Room of Requirement, and they door disappeared.

They chatted with the each other as they walked to the Gryffindor common room.  But then Harry saw something quite unusual.

"What the – "

"What, what is it?" asked Vanessa.

Harry didn't answer, but pursued the crimson trail of blood that lay strewn about the floor.  Vanessa, upon noticing this, followed.  They kept the trail hadn't been very long before it turned into footprints, which soon faded after each step until there was nothing left.

"What in the name of Merlin was that?" breathed Vanessa.

"Nothing good," answered Harry, as he began walking back to the common room.

-----------------------------

Melissa walked along the school halls, admiring the portraits on the walls.  She had always loved paintings.  It was like a poet's bliss.  When they had lived in America, she would always take Vanessa up to New York to see the Museum of Modern Art.  Sure, it was a long drive, but as long as Mel could bribe Nessa with a promise to see something on Broadway, she would go.

She remembered one time when they were at the museum, when Vanessa was only five, she had asked about a certain one.

"Mummy," she had eagerly said, "what's that."

"That's _The Starry Night_ by Vincent Van Goh.  His paintings were never really appreciated until he died."

"That's really sad."

"Why do you say so?"

"Because I like it, and he'll never know."

Mel couldn't have resisted chuckling a bit at that point.  "It's ok, sweetie.  He's very much loved today and thought of.  It's my favorite, too."  She remembered Vanessa's little giggle after she had said this.  And then she thought of the museum security guard's face when she had tried to get him to let her take that painting home.  Mel didn't know why she had thought of this memory.  Maybe the paintings had reminded her of lost times.  But they didn't seem so lost anymore.  In fact, ever since she had regained contact with Sirius, it'd been like heaven to her.  Sure, they could never kiss or hug or even high five (for reasons unknown to Mel), but they had been able to work around that by just talking or occasionally blowing kisses.  But she didn't care.  She felt like God had given her something so special, as if to make up for the hardships.  She was so lost in her thoughts that she had forgotten that she was supposed to be going to Dumbledore's office.  So when she came to the gargoyle-like statue, she forgot to say the password and ended up banging her head against its forhead.  She quickly dusted herself off, said the password, and walked into the office.

"Oh, Melissa!" exclaimed Dumbledore.  "Come and take a seat."

She quickly sat in one of the big armchairs.  "Why did you want to see me, sir?"

Dumbledore lowered his half-moon spectacles, as if to survey her, and said, "I know about it."

"About wh –"

"You and Sirius, Mel.

"Well, seeing as how we were married for quite some time, it would be a little obvious – "

"No, no.  About your communications with him."

There was a pause.  Mel had not told anyone about it.  But then again, Dumbledore could get around just about _anything_.  "You do have a knack for reading unsuspecting minds, Albus."

"Mel, I want you to be careful, alright?"

"Why?  It's just Sirius."

"You know about the threats on the Order.  You're in it, for Merlin's sake!  Just, danger can be lurking all over.  Be cautious."

"Ok, I'll be careful.  Is that it?"

Dumbledore had opened his mouth and then closed it again, as if he was bout to inquire something else, but at the last second, change his mind.  After a moment, he said, "No, you may go."

----------------------

~Flashback~

"Hey, Sirius," called Mel, from the powder room in their hotel suite.

"Yeah, babe?" he yelled back from the bedroom.

"Do you think we're safe?"

"What?"

"I said, do you think we're safe?" she said, coming out of the powder room.

"Oh, c'mon Mel, we're on our honeymoon."

"I know, I know, but with all this Order business, what if something happens?  I mean, we're all being sought after, especially James and Lily.  What if something happened to them, or you?"

"Look, Mel, I'm not going to lie.  We're not exactly safe.  But I swear to you, on…on…this goblet," he said as he picked up the blue wedding glass, "that I'll protect you.  Whether it is physical or emotional harm, I shall protect you.  And if I can't shield it completely, I'll try to make it feel better."

Mel smiled, stood up, placed her hand on the glass, and whispered, "and I you."

Sirius smirked and put down the goblet.  "Great, now that we have that settled, is there anything else bothering you?"

"Well, you see, the room service hear drives me nuts."

"Oh, Mel."

"What?"

~End of Flashback~

-----------------------

Mel sipped some water from her glass and lay down on her pillow.  She soon drifted off into sleep again, a wide smile on her face.  Once again, she slipped along to the inky clouds underneath the purple sky.

"Mel!" called Sirius.

She turned and ran along the sky, leaving light footprints on the clouds.  "Hey.  Are you alright?" she asked after noticing the silence that came from him.  "Sirius, please answer me."

Instead of speaking, he placed his hand on her cheek and drew her closer.  It was the first time they had touched since they had met up there.  Mel had that same strong feeling of affection mixed with desire that she had felt the first time.  And when he kissed her, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back.  It was incredible.

But she had not been careful.

A/N:  Ok, I'm so sorry that it took so long to update.  You see, I my schedule was packed, and I had to battle a case of writers' block with this chapter.  Anyway, I've still got a lot of things going on, so I'll try to get the next one up A.S.A.P., but I can't promise anything.  Thanks for reading!     


	6. Hidden Beyond the Boudaries

Disclaimer:  I do not own Harry Potter…oh, why do I even bother?

BURN THE RUM:  Hmm…can't reveal anything yet about Vanessa (do I even know?  You'll just have to wait and see…) :).  Oh, I love "Beauty and the Beast"!  You had to be the Prince?  Sounds funny!  I'm sure it was a great play.  Ours wasn't exactly Beauty and the Beast (think more "School of Rock").  Well, it would be funny (and great) if Johnny popped out anywhere!  Hmm…oops, mind trailed off there for a second…  Oh, you saw Moulin Rouge?  That's awesome!  It makes me cry every…single…time…  By the way, I read your Lord of the Rings story…best one I've read so far!  Well, I've actually got to write a story (oh, yeah…..)!  Enjoy!

Siriusforeva:  Oh, thanks!  That's one of the nicest comments I've gotten!  Can't say anything about the blood, yet.  Just keep reading!  I'm ecstatic (love that word) to know that you are enjoying it so much!

Writingangel203:  Hey!  Glad you could review!  Yeah, you'll probably know more soon, so keep an eye out, CINDERELLA!!

"Oh, come on, Mel, just go to the Hospital Wing.  You look awful."

"Thanks, Remus.  I'll call you next time I need to know I'm having a bad hair day."

Remus laughed at Mel's unbreakable sarcasm.  "Sorry.  But with this dreadful flu going around, you might want to check up with Madame Pomfrey.  She's got nearly half the school in the beds."

"No, no, Remus," she said, shaking her head.  "I'll be fine.  I don't want to be in there and just be another dead weight in Poppy's hands."

Poor Mel.  She could never swallow that big old lump of pride she kept tucked nicely in her constitution.

"Well," he said, picking up his things and heading towards the door leading out of his office, "I've got a class to teach.  You'd better lay down for a bit and rest up."

"Will do, Rem, will do.  It's nice to see you teaching this…again."

Remus smiled as he closed the door and walked briskly towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.  No matter how many times he felt the thrill of Adrenaline creeping up his spine and running through his veins after defeating a Death Eater, teaching would always be his passion.  Ever since Sirius's death, Dumbledore had convinced Remus to return as the DADA teacher.  He said it would be good for Harry, as well as the rest of the students, who had all grown quite fond of him.  And seeing as how they were left teacherless again (and not to mention that Fudge was a clueless idiot), Remus seemed to be the perfect man to come back for the job.

Of course, Remus knew all about Mel's, ahem, contact with Sirius.  Dumbledore may be able to hold his own at the most critical moments, but he could be terrible at keeping some things secretive.  Either way, Remus had felt it was a bad idea.  But having the old, funny Melissa back was better than anything, and Dumbledore knew it.  But the dream world was beyond their control.  It was an open domain to an abyss of the unknown.

-----------------------------

_Yuck._

Mel pulled herself away from the toilet seat, rubbing her head.  Whatever she'd done to get her this sick, she'd never do it again.  Ever.  Maybe she had food poisoning.  Whatever it was, it was coming back to her.  She leaned her head back over the toilet and vomited once again.  She then felt the slightest pang in the pit of her stomach.

"Ouch!" she screeched, as she grabbed her stomach.  But this wasn't a grab that had her nails digging into her skin.  It was soft and protective…almost loving.  All of this, and vaguely familiar…

She got up and ran like her feet propelled themselves from wings.  Still clutching her stomach, she tore down the halls, and swerved at each sharp turn.  She was about to lose breath when she came upon the well-known stature of the stone gargoyle.  Just barely getting out the password, she practically threw herself up the stairs and into Dumbledore's office.

"Mel, what's wrong?  Is everything ok?" the old man asked hastily, getting up from his chair.

"I think," she said, huffing and puffing, "I think I need the test."

----------------------------

Adam Galway walked briskly down the hall, his head jumping back and forth between two people.  Funny thing was, he didn't know who (or what) the other person was.  It was a battle between himself and a faint numbness in his own skull.

He turned towards the hospital wing, searching for only God knew what.  But no – wait.  He didn't want to go there.  He wanted to head towards the library…

_Find her…do the bidding._

"No," he said instinctively.  He was half conscious, and had never felt like this before.  His head was dizzy, but completely controlled.  His veins must have been ice cold, but his mind was pulsing and calmly thinking.  But what was he thinking of?

Do as I say… 

"Or what?" he said to himself, unaware of why he was even under any command.

You cannot fight back… 

This voice – thought – seemed to have the control over his actions, for he found himself walking faster, almost eager to find her…whoever _she _was.  The commands seemed to blind his field of vision, for he bumped into someone, apparently not looking where they were going either.

"Bloody hell!  It's going to take weeks to get this ink out!"

Adam shook his head and looked down to find Ginny Weasley sprawled on the floor, ink splattered all over her robes and books.  Lying next to them was her shattered inkwell, with a small black puddle beneath the shards.  She began to pick up her books when Adam interjected.

"Where is she?" he asked, surprised at the unusual deepness of his voice.  It was so…unnatural, that it simply couldn't have been his voice at all.  But…whose was it?

"A-adam?" asked Ginny as she looked up.  "Er, who?  Who are you looking for?"  The girl was clearly startled at the difference in his voice.

He stepped closer to her and hissed, "You know whom I'm talking about."

Ginny got up and looked him in the eye.  "N-no, I don't know.  What's gotten into –"

"Don't you dare keep her from me.  He'll find you…he'll..."

"Vanessa…" she whispered."  Ginny had become quite close to Vanessa during the year.  They were practically inseparable.  She straightened up.  This was what she had been talking about.  Ness had confided in Ginny about the things Adam had done to her, but she'd never really believed them.  Adam just wasn't like that.  But…what _was_ he like?  He was smart and handsome, yes.  But this was so different.  How could she know?  "I don't know where she is.  And even if I did, if you think I would tell you, then you've seriously thought wrong."

He grabbed her and pushed her against the stone wall.  "DON'T DEFY ME!  He will come for you, you'll never be safe…" The threats seemed to roll off his tongue and hit poor Ginny like bullets.  But she held her courage in her hands and refused to show her weakness.   

_Let go of her!  What the bloody hell are you doing?  Stop it!_  Adam's thoughts couldn't overrule the actions pouring from his hands.  He reached into his pocket, retrieving something that would punish Ginny for her disobedience.

Ginny looked down at his hand and then up into his eyes.  Her face twisted into some sort of horror, and she ran.  Adam (the real Adam) didn't understand what had frightened her off so.  But Ginny knew…it had been something in his eyes.  They reminded her of past times.  Times that had frightened her.  They were not Adam's eyes.  But she knew whose they were.  She just didn't want to believe it.

Adam, seeming to come out of his half-trance, shook his head, as if trying to throw off the headache that had quickly developed deep in his temple.  After the pain went away, he stared down at his hand, which was still in his pocket.  He felt his fingers wrap around something, and he pulled it from his pocket.  It was a syringe, half full with a deep green substance, the needle slightly dirty.

-------------------

"Mel, what are you going to do?" asked Dumbledore, rubbing his seemingly aged eyes.

"What do you mean, 'What am I supposed to do?'  What do you expect me to do?  Sirius had reasons for no contact, I'm sure, but _this_ is not what he had in mind."  Mel stopped pacing around the room, and leaned against the wall of Dumbledore's office.  She took a long, but sharp sigh. 

"This is bad, Melissa.  I think we are going to find ourselves in a bigger mess than any of us could've predicted."

"And what exactly is so wretched about it?" said Mel, her voice rising.  "This is not supposed to be something you down upon, you know.  I'm rather happy, actually.  It'll be…nice."  Mel gave a weak, but sweet smile.  It broke Dumbledore's heart to turn it.

"But Mel, how many people out there do you think are going to believe you?  This is unusual even for _us_.  They are going to stomp all over it, and you'll be trampled by ridicule."

Mel rushed up to the old wizard's desk and looked him right in the eye, her face and voice filled with desperate attempts at restrained passion.  "_NO_, Albus!  I know my own sanity better than anyone out there!  And I can guarantee that words can and will not penetrate me!"  She calmed down a bit, speaking as she turned back to the wall.  "I can do this."

Dumbledore sighed and got up from his desk.  He walked over to Mel, her back facing him.  He placed a hand on her shoulder, as of to soothe her before the final blow.  You see, Dumbledore had also seen Vanessa's memories.  But he had a more…subtle way of retrieving them.  He'd also had more affective ways of reaching them.  He'd been able to see what Harry didn't.  He knew what happened in that alley.  True, Nessa hadn't known he'd done it, but he _had_ to.  And now he had to really tell Mel why her situation was so dangerous.

-------------------

Vanessa couldn't believe it.  She just couldn't believe it!  Her favorite teacher from her school in America was coming _here_!  To Hogwarts!  Professor Belfast was originally from Britain, and she was coming to London in about a week.  She had sent an owl to Vanessa (since the professor was the only person Vanessa told she was going to Hogwarts), saying that she'd be visiting.  She apparently quit her other job and was seeking a teaching job at Hogwarts.  She had gone there when she was a young witch, and always dreamed of returning.  She told Vanessa in the letter that she would be getting to the school by Floo Powder (once she found a fireplace in a London hotel – if she could get to Scotland by Floo).

Vanessa was on her way to Dumbledore's office, having known her mother had been summoned there.  She was so excited, that she needed to tell someone – _now_.  Her mother would probably be the only one who understood, anyhow.  She quickly gave the gargoyle the password and ascended up the stone cold steps.  She was about to turn the knob when she heard a loud sobbing cry come from the room.  Frightened, Nessa jumped back, and then peered through the small crack in the door.

"N-no, that's not it!  It-it can't be, Albus!  What would _he _want with…with…" Mel gave out another moan.

"Look, Mel, it's dangerous.  There_ was_ a reason for Sirius not to make contact with you!  This is why!" exclaimed Dumbledore.

"But it can't have to do with what happened to Vanessa," stated Mel, almost whining.

"Yes it does, Melissa."  Dumbledore again put a reassuring hand on Mel's shoulder.  "It does."

Mel wiped a small tear from her eye and looked up into the old man's half-moon glasses.  She then did something peculiar: she smiled a small, triumphant smile.  "No, Albus.  This is a good thing.  A _great_ thing.  It's the best thing that's happened to me in a while.  And nothing is going to ruin it."

"That still doesn't change the fact that they won't believe you.  That doesn't change their morals, their opinions.  No matter what you say, you'll never convince them that they're wrong."

Mel smiled again.  "I don't care," she said, rubbing her tummy and looking down at it.  "The world is simply going to have to believe that I am pregnant by Sirius Black."

A/N:  Ooh, cliffy…MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Ok, sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry (etcetera, etcetera).  I'm (again) sorry about the late update.  It's been crazy lately, 'nuff said. 


	7. Over So Small A Thing

A/N: Yep, it's been a long time. Well, to put it in a nutshell: busy, camp, writers' block, vacation, high school. And this extra long chapter (for me, anyway) is a reward for your patience! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This must be getting old, but…I do not own the characters/settings that the great J.K. Rowling has so brilliantly invented…sigh…

BURN THE RUM: Thank you! I'm glad you like the "plot twist"! I just couldn't keep Sirius out of this fic…I love him too much! The Adam thing might be a little confusing, but I'm working on it (I hope the end result will come out good – you'll see). Oh, I always cry at movies. It's one of my many quirks. Happy reading!

Siriusforeva: Hmm…I can see how he's AU. He might edge back to his regular self, but there'll still be unusual times. Let's hope it's unexpected! Thanks for reading!

Writingangel203: neli, you know what's going to happen! But I'm glad you're reading anyway!

Stormcloud-203: Thank you very much! That was very sweet! I'm glad you're liking the stories. Enjoy the chapter!

CherrySprinkles: Hey, Julia! Yay! I'm glad you read my fic! Well, since you need a hug, here's one hugs Julia. See you at school!

"That's…interesting…"

"Er, Harry? Harry?…"

Harry had managed to close his gaping jaw after saying those last words. But shock was a tricky little thing to get rid of, and now he was just staring straight ahead of him, not even aware of Vanessa sitting right across from him. They were in the Room of Requirement once again, this time lighted with a dim green glow. They had been having regular meetings and conversations here for many weeks now. It was an easy way for them to relax and unwind. They would talk many things over, like emotional stability, problems they'd been having, troubles like that – some serious, some not so serious. Other times they would just come to chat about happier things – it was nice to have a person you could just talk to. And this was why Vanessa had told Harry to meet her this day; she needed someone to talk to. Badly.

"So," Harry said as he remembered that there was, in fact, a conversation taking place, "how long have you known?"

"I just found out this morning," answered Vanessa, lying back on her green couch, rubbing her eyes in exhaustion. Clearly this had taken plenty out of her.

"Well, what d'you think of it?" He sat up, leaning over and resting his elbows on his knees, rubbing his hands. "This is not exactly the easiest thing to understand."

Vanessa threw up her hands in exasperation. "Shit, Harry, I don't know what to think!" A sort of subtle fury ignited in her expression. "What, is my father alive? Has my mum gone mad? I mean, she's not exactly the type to just go out and shag someone!"

"Well, something is definitely up, Ness, and until we can get everything straight, there's nothing we can determine from it." Harry's words seemed to calm Vanessa down a little (at least for the time being). He sat back on his couch. "Do you really think she's pregnant?"

"She had a test, so she's definitely pregnant."

"Well, do you think it could be wrong?"

"No, it was a witch's test. Much more efficient than those muggle sticks. They're fool proof."

"I don't know what else to say, then."

"It's ok, Harry, you've said enough. It's just…" Vanessa paused. She didn't know exactly how to word what she was thinking. "It's just that, I half expect someone to cart her off to the loony bin." She looked up, tears trying desperately not to fall from her eyes. "Who is going to believe that a dead man is fathering a child? I mean, it feels like I'm talking right out of a muggle soap opera!"

Harry couldn't exactly help but laugh. After all, this whole thing _was_ a bit farfetched. But knowing Sirius, anything was possible at this point. Still smiling, he assured her, "Vanessa, all you have to do is look up and just realize where we are. Any one of us could be carted off."

And without one word, she curled her lips into a small smile, took a long look at Harry, got up, and walked right out the door. Harry's eyes followed her out, a vague curiosity suddenly creeping into his mind.

-----------------------------

"C'mon, Mel, I'm trying to finish getting stinksap off the walls!"

"Oh, Remus, you're no fun," Mel exclaimed – almost whined – as she pulled her hands away from Lupin's eyes.

"And since when have _you_ been fun?" he laughed, ducking a book thrown at him be a giggling Mel.

_This is odd_, he thought. Mel was practically bouncing off the walls and was as giddy as a five year old on her first pony ride. And _this_ was the woman who was a hairline away from depression? No way.

Mel hopped up onto a desk and sat on it with her legs crossed. She began staring blankly at the stinksap splattered across the room.

"So, how did this mess happen, anyway?"

"Neville's plant got hit by a stunning spell. Learning how to duel, you know? Anyway, that thing's in its older and more defensive stages of life, so it fought back. And I tell you, if it wanted revenge, it got it. This is going to take a while to get rid of." Remus resumed to cleaning the classroom.

"Oh," Mel answered in a slightly bored tone. She leaned back, resting her weight on her hand, twirling her hair absent-mindedly and staring off into space.

Lupin examined Mel from head to toe.

_What the hell is going on?_

But just as he was about to question her, Mel beat him to it.

"Remus, I didn't just come here to annoy you, you know. I've got news."

"Oh yeah? What kind of news?" he asked, almost sarcastically, not turning from his cleaning.

Mel played along, pretending to be offended. "It's news you're going to want to know. But if you'd rather be snappy…"

"Fine, fine. Just tell me what it is." He still didn't look at her as he spoke.

"Well, even if I didn't tell you (or you were really dense), you'd find out in nine months time."

For a few seconds, Remus hadn't fully realized the meaning of this statement. He simply continued to wave his wand, clearing his desk of the muddy-green slime that had inhabited Neville's plant. Then it hit him.

"I'm sorry," he said, turning around, "repeat that?"

"I. am. pregnant," she said, talking slowly as if Remus was slightly deaf and couldn't understand English.

"Meaning, you're going to have a baby?" he asked, looking at her, a little bewildered.

"Yes."

"So, you have a little baby inside your stomach?"

"I thought that was a given at this point," Mel chuckled. The look on Remus's face as priceless.

Lupin took a seat on one of the desks in front of Mel. He rubbed one of his eyes and shook his head slowly.

"Alright, then," he said after regaining speech, "how on earth did this happen?"

"Well, when a man and a woman love each other very, very much – "

"No, Mel, you know what I mean," Remus interrupted, crossing his arms.

Mel giggled. "Sorry. Couldn't resist. Anyway, you're not going to believe me if I told you," she teased. He knew very well that she was taunting him.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Mel, give me a break."

"Ok, I'll tell you, but only if you promise to believe me." She sent him a sly smile.

Remus smiled back, not sure if he wanted to know anymore. "Fine," he finally decided.

"Ok," Mel said, smoothing out the skirt of her pale blue dress. "Every night before I go to sleep, I drink some water or some wine from my wedding glass. Well, I don't know if it's the wine, but whenever I drink from the glass, I go some place in my sleep. Only, I don't think I'm dreaming. I'm sorry, this is king of hard to explain."

"It's ok. Please continue."

"Alright. When I'm up there, it's like I'm on a branch of Heaven."

"What do you mean?" Remus questioned.

"Well, what I mean is, er…when I go up there…I always see…Sirius."

"What?!"

"You heard me! At first, he didn't want me to touch him; no hugging, kissing, nothing but talking. So we would continue to meet at night. But something grew around us, I don't know how to describe it. The only word I can think of is temptation, but that doesn't exactly cut it. Anyway, one night, he just held me like I haven't been held in too many years. And there was just something in his touch that escalated this feeling, as if some spell had been laid upon his very fingers. Then one thing led to another and – "

"Ok, I get it," interjected Remus, waving his hand to stop her. "But he's dead. How could he get you pregnant?"

"I don't know, but I am."

"Are you sure?"

Melissa sighed and rolled her eyes. She extended her arm, showing Remus the navy blue line that covered her wrist. On the band was a plus sign written in purple script. She then turned her wrist over to reveal something else in purple letters: Sirius Black.

"Convinced yet?"

"But you know how these things can be inaccurate. It happens all the time."

"Remus, "she said, giving him an obvious look, "we're _wizards_. We have way more accurate means of testing."

"I know, but still…"

"Moony," she exclaimed, grabbing his shoulders and practically sticking her nose in his face, "trust me. Morning sickness doesn't lie."

"Remus stepped back, eyes wide as if she'd shaken him. "Are you sure it's not just the flu?"

Mel rolled her eyes. "Tell you what," she said, exasperated, sitting back on the desk. "Next time your pregnant, why don't you tell me about the similarities between morning sickness and the flu?"

"Alright, alright. Point taken," he said, defeated.

"What do you suppose we do now?"

"About what?"

Remus slapped himself on the forehead. "_Please_ don't make me go through that conversation again!"

"Well, I don't think there's anything to be done about it. For crying out loud," she sighed, "can't everyone just come off it?"

"What?"

"Why does everyone have to be so…I don't know…against this thing?"

"Mel, no one's against it."

"Look, all I'm saying is that Sirius and I wanted a big family. We kind of made a deal with each other. Do you know how long I've been unhappy for? Vanessa was my only source of feeling, of closeness. And then… Well, I just want everything to come out right for once. Is that so much to ask?" Almost sobbing, but still completely dry, she rested her head on Remus's shoulder.

"It's ok," he reassured her. "Nothing will go wrong. We'll make sure of that."

Remus stared off out the window, but not really looking at the shining grass of the quidditch field in view. All of this had happened for a reason, he knew. But whether that reason was to be prevented or not, he was unsure of.

And it was then that Melissa smiled.

Whatever this thing is, it's either got a terrible catch, or is the most unlikely of miracles.

Or both.

------------------------

"I'm telling you, I don't know anything!" the boy shrieked.

"Yes you do!" he said, his hands edging up onto the boy's neck. "Tell me, boy or I'll crush your throat." He gripped.

The boy gave a tiny gasp, but he was losing speech fast.

Oh, God, what did I do too myself? Wait, what?…

"What the bloody hell are you doing?"

Adam let go of the boy's neck. He was shocked at the strength his own hands had been gripping the boy's neck. But…were they his hands?

"Go on, Riley," Vanessa told the boy, whom she recognized as a friend from class. "And don't you worry yourself about him," she said, shooting Adam a glare. "I'll see you in herbology."

Riley turned on his heel and walked away as fast as he could, trying to keep his calm.

"Look," Vanessa said, turning back to Adam, "I don't know exactly what it is you're planning, but this needs to stop. I knew you were a jerk, but…you actually tried to kill someone. That's…that's evil."

"But I didn't do anything!" he whined in his defense.

"You're sick, you know that?" She turned to leave, but he grabbed her sleeve.

"I swear to you that I didn't lay a hand on him. Now please," he begged, "just hear me out."

Vanessa slowly turned to face him. "Alright," she agreed. "But I'm not doing this because I believe you. I'm doing this because I pity you."

Adam gave a long sigh and settled for her answer. Except…he wasn't quite what he was going to say.

After a long while, Vanessa became impatient. "Are we going to be just staring at each other all day?"

"No, no. I'll start. Like I said, I didn't lay a hand on him, not really. I don't know how it's been happening, but it's like I'm going insane. I've got like a split personality. One side of me is telling me to do these things. I try to fight back, but…it overpowers me…

When Adam stopped, he held this petrified look on his face. His eyes were so wide open, it looked as if it was physically impossible for him to blink. He stared straight ahead, becoming pale as the moon. But instead of backing away, Vanessa stepped closer to him, a feeling similar to worry in the back of her head. Then, shaking as if coming out of a trance, he looked back at her, the blood coming back to his face.

"Sometimes, I come back in the middle of doing something. Like just now with Riley. It's like waking up mid-sleepwalk. I can't control it."

"But…but how can I be sure?" Vanessa asked, her expression becoming suspicious and her voice desperate. "You haven't exactly won me over."

"Just…trust me," he said, his eyes finally locking with hers.

At first, Vanessa didn't pay attention to his eyes so much as his face. His expression appeared almost frightened as he gazed straight ahead at her. And then something happened. She really noticed his eyes when they changed in front of her. She wanted to avert her stare, but…she couldn't. Only when Adam grew paler did their contact break.

He stumbled back and then fell, clutching the side of his head with one hand. Almost instinctively, Vanessa hurried toward him and tried to help him up.

"Are – are you ok?"

His hands inched to a pocket in his robes while his other hand grabbed hers.

"Trust me," he said. And with a smirk, he pulled his hand from his pocket, revealing the syringe with the green liquid he'd tried to use on Ginny. In a flash, he thrust it into the side of Vanessa's neck, released the liquid, and pulled it out again.

As soon as the needle left her skin, she threw a hand over the puncture and gripped it. Not taking her eyes off the hand that held the syringe, she fell back. And with one quick glance up at Adam, she got up and stumbled off, clutching her neck the whole way.

She soon reached the fat lady, but before she could say the password, she lost her balance and fell into the embrace of the wall. A pain was beginning to grow in her neck, like a spreading poison. But soon she found her strength (or at least held back her weakness) and gave the portrait this week's password.

She stepped into the room, standing as tall as she could. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in the room and she didn't want to let anything slip.

"Vanessa, hey, we were just talking about –"

Hermione was interrupted by Vanessa's sudden (and noticeable) lapse of pain. She collapsed onto the wall again, gasping and clutching her neck.

"What's wrong? Did anything happen to you?" Ron stepped closer to her, but she held up a hand to stop him.

"I'm fine," she said in short breaths. "Just fine."

And then, as if on cue, she passed out into Ron's arms.

-----------------

"What do we do?" asked Ron, still holding the limp Vanessa.

"What, never had an unconscious woman in you arms before?" joked Harry.

"Oh, shut up, Harry!" Ron spat.

"Settle down, the both of you!" Hermione shouted, stopping Harry mid-giggle. "Harry, don't joke at something like this. And Ron," she said, turning to him, "I'm sure you've had plenty of unconscious women in your arms."

Ron turned a light shade and rolled his eyes. Hermione continued.

"Put her on that sofa over there," she said, pointing to a large wine sofa with gold embroidery.

The boys obeyed, resting her head on a gold pillow and propping her feet up on the opposite armrest. Hermione bent down close to her and checked her pulse. She then ran her fingers over the spot on her neck that she had been covering with her hand. There was no trace of a wound.

"She'll be fine," Hermione reasoned. "Just let her rest up a bit and she'll be back to normal by the time she wakes up."

Ron and Hermione got up to leave when they noticed that Harry wasn't following.

"C'mon, mate, don't you want to got to Hogsmede with us," Ron asked.

"Nah," answered Harry, "someone should be here when she wakes up. I could ask her what happened, y'know?"

"Suit yourself," Ron said as headed out of the portrait hole.

"We'll get you something from Honeydukes," Hermione added as she followed him.

"Thanks, see you," he waved bye to them. After they left, he turned back and walked towards the sleeping Vanessa. He stared down at her. Her face had relaxed a bit, her eyelids smooth instead of scrunched in pain over her eyes.

She looked almost peaceful in her slumber, but she frequently shuttered and shivered. But still…

Harry reached down and pushed back a large strand of hair that was hanging over her face. Man, whatever had brought his thing upon her… Oh, he would be sure nothing like this would happen again.

Oh, it was probably nothing. Why are you so worked up about this?

He pulled his hand away quickly, as if the sudden interest of his thoughts had grabbed it back.

Why was he so worked up over this?

Don't worry, he assured himself. It's just a little feeling. No use overacting over something so small.

But…was the feeling in itself small?

He touched the skin on her neck just to make sure of a cut, scar, anything suspicious. But as his fingers slid along her skin, she sprung up from her sleep.

"Please!" she screamed as she flew up.

Harry jumped back, startled at her sudden awakening. "Sorry, I – I didn't mean…"

Vanessa looked around her, as if forgetting that she had been sleeping. Memory coming back to her, she said, "Oh, no, no, I was just – it was…"

"It's ok, you were dreaming."

Vanessa kicked her legs off the armrest and sat straight. Rubbing the side of her neck, she wandered over to the table in the corner that had suddenly caught her attention. She stalked off to it, fiddling around with the objects resting on it. She looked inside the books, and written in each one were the words "Adam Galway". She then noticed a glass bottle, its copper tint glittering in the afternoon sun. She lifted it up cautiously. And turned it until the label faced her.

**CAPTAIN JACK'S WASHED UP RUM**

"Trust him," she whispered under her breath, rolling her eyes as she turned back to Harry.

"Vanessa, w-what happened to you?"

"Oh, it's…it's nothing," she said, turning her head away from him.

"Vanessa," he said, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to face him, "you walked in here and collapsed into Ron. It was something."

She sighed, defeated. "Oh, it's just…he's such a bastard!" she shouted, throwing the bottle across the room, resulting in a shower of copper glass.

"Wait, back up. Who is?"

"Adam! I don't know what his problem is, but he's going kill someone if he doesn't stop! I mean, I caught him trying to strangle a boy in the hall, he stuck me with something from this needle, and then he tells me to trust him!" Temper rising, she kicked over one of the chairs at the table. Then, almost suddenly, she felt faint, and her legs began to waver under her. Her eyes rolled back, and Harry, upon noticing this, rushed up to catch her.

It was as if his arms had worked as a stimulant, because she never really fainted. As soon as her legs gave way and he was holding her, her mind came back to her. But then something came to her, lurking up the back of her mind.

You've got him now, right where you want him.

No, she answered back.

Disobedience leads to suffering. Hurt him, lead him, kill –

NO! she screamed in her head. YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HIM!

Very well…

She looked up, directly into Harry's emerald gaze. She didn't say a word, for she felt the most unbearable pain she'd ever felt in her life.

She noticed Harry's eyes grew wide as he reached a hand over and touched the side of her neck. Pulling his hand back, Vanessa saw the blood now resting on his fingers. Looking down, she saw a long trail of blood, trickling down her shoulder.

She looked at Harry and really fell into his arms.

------------------

Vanessa woke up to Harry dabbing a wet rag on her forehead.

"How many times am I going to do this?" she whined, thankful for the cloth to soothe her throbbing head. "I'm sorry, Harry."

"Oh, don't bother yourself. It's always nice to have a woman fall into my lap."

She chuckled a bit, but stopped as soon as she felt a sudden pang in her neck. She sat up and buried her forehead in her hands. "Oh, what mess have I gotten myself into now?"

Harry sat down in front of her and placed a hand on her cheek after pushing her hair out of her eyes. She looked at him, glassy-eyed, but they were still intense.

Those eyes shouldn't be so cold yet, he thought. We've both seen too much in too little time.

"It looks as though you and I are equals, Harry Potter," Vanessa said with a smile, as if she'd just read his mind. "I'm sorry for adding to your list of problems."

"Look, Ness, it's no problem to me. Or any of us. And whatever is going on right now – whatever's happening to you, I – we'll make sure it doesn't hurt you any further."

She continued to look at him, his hand still on her cheek. She smiled her brightest in the longest time Harry could remember. And it was then that he noticed some of the ice in her eyes had melted.

"It's getting late," Harry said. "I'd better head upstairs and get started on my potions essay." And with that, he left her sitting on the couch.

"I should tell him."


	8. And On Top of That

Disclaimer: We both know what I do and do not own. I mean, it's kind of a given at this point…

A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the little Pirates of the Caribbean reference in the last chapter! I just wanted to make a note of it, in case someone thinks I'm trying to steal anything (which I would never do, especially from my beloved Pirates). Enjoy the chapter!

BURN THE RUM: I knew you would like the rum's name. I thought the firewhiskey bit was getting a little old. Yeah, and I just started high school (no matter what anyone tells you, freshman rock…and the lockers are too narrow to be stuffed in anyway…). Are you in eighth grade? It's a good year… Anyways, I've got to mention that something you said sparked a whole new idea in me, and I went back and re-worked my ideas for what happened to Vanessa. But I still have some advice – don't believe everything in this chapter so quickly. So this chapter is dedicated to you, the Inspirer of Good Ideas! Enjoy!

Writingangel203: Hi hun!! Miss you, and I know that you'll bother me about updating the next chapter even before you read this one, so I'd better get on to that. Love ya!

Harry lay very still on the couch next to the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. It was mid-afternoon, a bit cloudy, but comforting nonetheless. His head was resting in his hands, eyes staring up at the ceiling. _He_ may have been motionless, but his mind was buzzing about, refusing to let him be. He wasn't sure of what side Adam was on, what was going on with Vanessa, or where this baby came from. Did anything in his life make sense anymore? But that's what you get when you're Harry Potter…

He turned onto his side, his nose touching the smooth embroidery of the couch pillow. His eyelids were slowly dropping, his mind finally at rest. He was about to fall into a nice, comfy nap when the shattering of glass interrupted it.

He jerked up, listening hard for any more sounds. Adjusting his glasses, he got up and walked about the room, trying to figure out where the noise had come from. He had been listening near the steps leading to the girls' dormitories in case it had come from one of their rooms (but he knew very well not to go up them), when he heard another noise. This time is was a loud, sharp sob coming from the door behind the stairs. Melissa's room. He ran to the door and attempted to yank it open, but the knob wouldn't budge.

"Mel, let me in!" he screamed at the door, tugging at the knob with at much strength his body would allow.

"Go away!" she yelled back, her voice shaky and fast.

"NO, Mel, I'm not leaving this spot until you let me – "

Harry had shoved his shoulder dead-on into the door when Mel had opened it. This caused Harry to stumble and hurtle towards the ground, landing on his shoulder, but hitting his head in the process as well.

"Harry," Mel said, giving him a damp cloth she had fetched from the pitcher next to her bed, "what are you doing?"

"Rescuing you," Harry answered, placing the cloth on the large bump that had swelled on the side of his forehead. This comment retrieved a chuckle from Mel, which made Harry smile a bit, himself. It was good to know that Mel wasn't in need of rescuing. "But really, Mel, what's going on?"

It was as if Harry's question had snatched the smile right off of Mel's face, for her expression looked as though she'd just been told that she would die in ten seconds. Not of pure fear, but apology.

"You remember…that night? Out in the woods when we fought Voldemort?" She settled herself slowly onto the bed. Her stare remained on Harry.

"How could I forget?"

"Yeah. Well, since I drank that whole bottle of potion, my blood has become…dependent on it. Every month I have to drink a bottle of it and go through the worst experiences of my life over and over. It's like the rewind button on my mind is stuck for a few hours."

"And…"

"Today marks another month."

"Alright. But isn't this just like every other month?"

"No, Harry, unfortunately not. It's gotten harder over the years. More painful memories have been added, so it takes more out of me. One of these days it's going to kill me, I know it."

"So, why don't you just skip it one month?" Harry asked this, but his voice sounded oblivious, as if asking a teacher to repeat herself merely because the dog outside the window next to you held your attention better than she did.

"I can't. If I do, it would be like having the wrong blood in my body, thus it would work against me. So I'll die, even if I skip one month. Look at this," she said, lifting up the back of her shirt to reveal a ying-yang-resembling scar on her back. "The potion re-opens it every time."

"Oh," Harry mumbled, finally understanding the seriousness of the situation. "And I'm guessing you're worried about the baby."

"It's just…the past two moths, nothing's happened to it when I've taken the potion. But I don't know how much it can take. I don't know what I should do." She looked at him expectantly.

"Well, what would Dumbledore do?"

Mel sighed and edged her way towards the nightstand next to her bed. She picked up a small glass vial that was filled with deep red liquid. "Don't get scared," she told him. "It will look like I've passed out. I won't make any movements, although my mind will be in a very unstable setting. Just lock the door on your way out, and tell anybody out there that I'm deathly afraid of spiders, and you were helping me get rid of one."

Harry nodded. Mel took the tiny cork off the vial and lifted it near her lips. "Cheers," she toasted unenthusiastically, and then she drank the vial's contents. As soon as the last drop had been downed, her face instantly paled. She fell to her knees, clutched her head, and screamed like she was the daughter of a banshee. Her heavy, scratchy breathing slowly steadied, and she loosely fell all the way onto the floor. Harry, not wanting her to wake up on the cold wood floorboards, tried his best to place her gently on the bed. As he left her room and locked the door behind him, he noticed two second years eyeing him.

"She needed help getting rid of a spider. She's terrified of 'em."

------------------------

What are you doing? Oh God, Vanessa, you're not going to do this. Are you sure this is right?

"Yes," Vanessa said, answering her thoughts as well as ending her pacing about the divination tower. It was late in the day on the weekend – thus no classes. Even Trelawny, who had used this place as a refuge after she'd been sacked two years before, wasn't in. Firenze was practically never up here. She was going to do it today. She was going to tell Harry what happened to her in the alley. Well, maybe she wouldn't _tell_ him exactly…

She felt a strong trust with Harry – trust that not many people had. Not, he wasn't her only friend, but he was…_something else._

So, with all this new found trust, it was only fair to tell him everything – wasn't it? The truth was, she didn't even know if it was necessary. But for some small, unidentifiable reason, she was going to do it. It was thoughts like these that had got her pacing in the first place.

So here she was; all alone in an isolated tower, waiting for Harry to show –

_Crack._ "Damn!"

Vanessa scurried quickly to the trap door and gently lifted it. Who could be there, but Harry Potter, rubbing the already large bump on his head, now freshly restored by the trap door.

"Are you alright?" Vanessa asked, trying to hide her laughter behind her hand.

"Yeah, good thing this bump blocked the door from hitting my head. Then it would've hurt real bad."

Vanessa, still giggling, grabbed hold of Harry's hand and hoisted him up off the stairs. "So how did you manage to do that to yourself, anyway?"

"I guess I was just lost in thought and I didn't realize the staircase had ended. Pretty dumb, huh?" Harry said with a smile, reaching up behind him and scratching the back of his head. "So what was it that you wanted to discuss?'

Although she now felt a great deal better, Vanessa's face turned back to grave. One doesn't exactly smile when talking about this.

Taking a nice, deep breath, Vanessa plunged. "I…I wanted you to know what happened to me…in the alley…"

"Oh," replied Harry, now losing some of the light in his eyes. "Are you sure you want to tell me?"

"No, I don't want to tell you. I want to _show_ you."

"You wanna what?!"

"Well, let me put it this way: A person who has gone through something like this relives it over and over in their head. But to _tell_ it – actually say it out loud – is much harder. I figure, since I've seen it so many times, it wouldn't make a difference if I showed it to you. I just can't say it. You get me?"

"Ok. I understand." _I think._

"Alright, just do the thing you did to me before. When you saw all those other times."

"Oh, I see." Harry got his wand at the ready, and after Vanessa took one more breath, he performed the spell. "Here goes."

Harry felt like he was going to be sick. His entry into Vanessa's memories had not been quite as smooth as the last time. It felt like Vanessa was shaking her head vigorously until Harry landed in the alley. Finding balance on the brick wall, he began to walk down the length of the alley, for he could not see Vanessa yet. But as he got nearer, he could make out the familiar scene: The boy standing over her, blood dripping at the corner of her head.

_The boy looked down on her as if he was going to spit on her. He then knelt down, his face coming close to hers. She turned her face towards the ground and coughed, jagged and hoarse. A little spot of blood formed at the edge of her mouth. The boy, taking no care in her ailments, slid himself on top of her. He placed his hands on both of her shoulders, pressing her down, and kissing each one._

_Vanessa's eyes scrunched, rather than widened, in shock. "Please," was the only thing she could say, her soft voice mixed with blood and breath._

_The boy, saying nothing, lifted his fist and brought it down with a force that made Vanessa's bones shake beneath her skin. A large red mark formed on her shoulder, soon to be replaced by a bruise._

_Harry turned away. No, this couldn't be…but it was right in front of him. He leaned against the wall of the alley and was sick all over the bricks. He took out his wand, barely muttered the spell, and was back in the divination tower, Vanessa sitting right in front of him._

"I think I've seen enough," he said, putting down his wand.

"Good," she breathed. "I was afraid you'd end up being stuck with worse images of that night. But I just couldn't –"

"It's ok, I understand." Harry sat down on one of the desks. He put a palm to his forehead, shaking it a bit, as if trying to shake of the image, or at least the shock of it.

"You're the only other person who knows about this," Vanessa said, almost timidly.

"You mean Mel doesn't even know about this?" Harry burst.

"Harry, my mother wouldn't have been able to take it, with everything that was going on."

"I think you're underestimating her."

"Whether I am or not, it's too late now. It wouldn't make a difference."

"Well why not? You told me."

"I told you because I'm ready to put it behind me, Harry. Unfortunately, it happened after I left muggle school, when things were just beginning to clear up. Professor Belfast helped me a lot afterwards. She never knew of that incident, of course, but she knew of my past. Anyway, coming here, to Hogwarts, is like clearing my slate. No reputation, no shit from my past, nobody after me. Until very recently, I guess." She nodded at Harry, and he knew perfectly well what she was talking about. "And I don't want this to add to it."

Harry understood. But still, rage was pacing in the pit of his stomach, rattling its cage noisily, and waiting for its opportunity to escape. He wanted that boy to feel pain – _really_ feel it. And may God have mercy if he was ever walking down the same street as Harry.

----------------------

"Hello, young man! Yes, I'm talking to you. Would you please tell me where I could find Headmaster Dumbledore?" A tall, slim woman in black robes made her way towards Harry. She dragged what looked like a heavy black trunk behind her. Her wavy blonde hair seemed to bounce off her shoulders as she walked. She had the type of features that some people might find rather plain, but others would think there was something in them that made her stunning.

Harry walked closer to her until they were within three feet of each other. "He would most likely be in his office right now," Harry said, looking up at this new creature.

"Oh, stupid me. Of course that's where he'd be." She picked up her trunk and started off down the corridor.

"Do you need help finding it?" Harry asked suddenly, following her.

"Oh, no. I know my way around these halls quite well, actually. It's just, I'm getting ready to start a new job here, and I'm a little nervous. That's all."

"Don't mind my asking, but…who are you? I noticed your trunk has the letters 'AB' on it. Are you a professor?"

"I don't mind at all," the woman said with a hint of laughter. "My name is Ashley Belfast. And yes, that's_ Professor_ Belfast to you. I just transferred from a school in America."

"But your accent's British."

"Yes, like I said, I know these halls well. I used to go here when I was younger. Oh my," she said, gazing up at the stone gargoyle as they reached it. "I haven't been here since…well, it's been such a long time."

Harry, seeing the wonder in her eyes, noticed and excitement in her, one resembling that of a child receiving a long-awaited present for Christmas. "You must have really loved this place," he said, musing up his hair.

Professor Belfast looked not at _him_ when he said this, but at the top of his head as he ran his hand through his hair. Her eyes squinted; a new realization seemed to dawn on her. "Do you by any chance…" she began to ask.

"What?"

"Oh nothing," she said, shaking herself out of her trance. "Thank you for your help." She then pulled out a slip of paper, read it, and then gargoyle moved aside, allowing her entrance to Dumbledore's office.

----------------------

"Excuse me, sir. Would you happen to know of a Professor Remus J. Lupin?"

Lupin didn't even turn from his work to the soft voice behind him. He was re-hanging and arranging the various tapestries and trinkets in his classroom. That damn Peeves had come in and switched everything around so that the entire room was backwards. It was quite difficult for Lupin to teach – or even get into his room – with his desk lodged in the threshold of the door.

"I should," he said, levitating a Bust of Palace and resting it just above the door, "I've known him all my life."

"Really?" came the voice – belonging to a female, although it sounded a lot slyer than before. "Then could you tell him that a Professor Belfast is looking for him?"

Remus laughed and finally turned around. "Forgive my humor, I'm – " He stopped, staring at the woman in front of him. If he'd still had that Bust of Palace, it would have dropped and shattered into a thousand shards. "- him."

"I know," she smiled, letting small wrinkles glow from the corners of her eyes.

"Ashley," he breathed, and then ran to gather her into an embrace as she playfully laughed.

---------------------

It had been three months since Harry's talk with Vanessa, and that was all the more time for him to become her personal watchdog. Even before she'd told him about the rape, he'd had a protective feeling over her. But since then he was down right possessive. He knew that this annoyed her, but he also knew that it amused her quite a bit.

And so he pondered all this while waiting outside Honeydukes for her. Ginny, whom Vanessa normally stayed with when they visited Hogsmede, was stuck back at the school with a nasty flu. This was why Vanessa was taking so long at Honeydukes – she was looking for one of those pops that makes a person feel better when they're sick, but she couldn't decide between Caramel Cures or Raspberry Remedies. Hermione and Ron went ahead, telling her to meet them at Zonko's when she was finished. But Harry, like the faithful little puppy he was, stood outside the shop, constantly checking on her.

He didn't entirely know why he was so obsessive over this, but he was. And to him, it just made sense, plain and simple…a little.

"Harry, Zonko's is not even thirty feet from here. Can you give it a rest?"

Vanessa's nagging tone brought Harry quickly back to Hogsmede. After a moment of recollection, he smiled at her. "Aww, didn't you miss me, Nessie?"

Laughing, she replied, "Why do you call me that? Why not 'Nessa' or 'Vannie' – on second thought, don't call me that."

Harry thought about it. "I guess you just remind me so much of the Loch Ness monster."

Vanessa rolled her eyes, but giggled all the same. They were both laughing, eyes locked, and for some reason, moving closer. It wasn't long before their lips were attached, connecting in a soft, closed kiss. After being seemingly frozen like that for a minute or so, Harry realized just what was happening. Breaking the connection rather sharply, he held Vanessa out at arms length. He bent slightly over and scrunched his eyes a little, as if examining her confused face. Then, grabbing her by the elbow, he whispered, "Come with me," and practically dragged her off in the opposite direction of Zonko's, Vanessa still oblivious to what he was thinking.

What they didn't know, though, what that somebody had seen them. He'd seen the whole thing. But he didn't understand – was it hurt or jealousy that now picked at the edge of his stomach?

Adam Galway eventually turned and walked slowly towards the Three Broomsticks, an uncomfortable feeling tugging heavily at his heart.

A/N: Just a quick clarification. Ashley's arrival and encounter with Remus was around the same time as the kiss.


	9. The Protector

A/N: Alright guys, I know it's been about 1,000 years since I last updated, but so help me, I will finish this fic!

**BURN THE R.U.M:** I feel like I'm writing this story for youJ. Haha, sorry for the long wait, I'll try to be more prompt…Oh, and just out of curiosity, what's your opinion of "Dead Man's Chest"?

Harry dragged Vanessa away from Hogsmede, but she felt like she was being dragged away from humanity. Was he…ashamed?

They continued to move faster with each turn, until they came to a cave that seemed to teeter on the edge of the village. It was dark and damp, but not one bit chilly. Harry let go of Vanessa at last, but continued to stare at her. The kiss had personally made her feel wonderful – refreshed, in fact. Somehow, though, she had a feeling that it had not come across the same to Harry.

"Ok, Harry," she said when she could take no more of the silence, "was there a reason you dragged me over here, or do you just enjoy bringing girls to creepy caves?"

Harry, shaking his head as if clearing, sighed. "Are things making sense to you, Vanessa?"

She thought about this for a minute. "Well, I know this whole thing is new. But I don't see why things _wouldn't_ make sense." She stared at him, arms akimbo and eyes inquisitive.

"It's just that…it's like I didn't _mean_ to do that, you know?"

"Not really."

"It was almost like something in you forced me to kiss you."

"I didn't force you to do anything." Here eyes glared.

"I know, but it happened anyway. But that feeling – I feel like I should really pay attention to that."

It was then that Vanessa's face softened a bit. "So what you're saying is…this can't happen, it's too dangerous, etc, etc.?"

Harry walked up to her and placed his hand on her cheek, gently brushing the hair out of her eyes. "I care about you, Vanessa. But that feeling just wasn't right. And through experience, I've learned to heed warnings when they're given."

Vanessa stared up at him the whole time, her face strong. A smile appeared. "You're a responsible boy, Harry Potter. Well, when you need to be anyway."

She turned and began to leave the cave, only to quickly look back at him before fully exiting. "But don't you think you could be a little less responsible, at least some of the time?"

She then marched right out of the cave, Harry following her this time.

--------------------------

"Ashley, are you going to tell me the _real_ reason you're at Hogwarts?" Remus asked, eyes narrowed.

"I've already told you," Ashley answered, grinning. Remus, however, was past laughing.

"We have no need of new teachers in this school, and I doubt Dumbledore would start a new course at the end of term."

Ashley finally stopped laughing and sighed. "You know, you're lucky I'm _not_ here for a teaching job. My specialty is Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Remus just stared at her.

"I came here to warn the Order."

"But how do you – "

"Not now. What I've got to warn you about is of extreme importance, and it would be good to get through this without interruption."

Lupin nodded.

Ashley sighed and continued. "Voldemort is planning something – a kidnapping. And I'm afraid he's already put the beginnings of his operation into action."

"But why a kidnapping? Is he planning to take Harry?"

"Are you kidding? He wouldn't be able to get within a mile of Harry without being cursed a few hundred times. No, he's going to take someone not so heavily guarded – someone unexpected. Most likely another student, but I can't be sure. However, it probably will not be an adult because he needs to take someone defenseless. The problem is, I have no idea how he's going to do this exactly. There's no way he can get into Hogwarts, and how the heck is he going to just grab some kid and waltz out of here unnoticed?"

"He must have some way if he's crazy enough to do this."

Ashley frowned. "Yeah, and that is why I am here. I am the messenger, deliverer, the bearer of bad news, etc. But you need to start doing something to prevent this soon. I have a feeling that the kidnapping will occur before the end of term."

"How do you know all of this, Ashley?" Lupin, however stunned he was, never seemed to be in too much of a shock to find more questions.

"Remus, there are other societies besides the Order of the Phoenix that are after Voldemort. It's going to take more than the efforts of one to bring him down. I'm part of a British group set up in America, in case he flees or we find strange happenings there. Anyway, we managed to capture one of his Death Eaters that he sent to create diversions. We had to continually use veritaserum on him because he had some sort of repelling charm on him. I've never seen anything like it. But we managed to get the information I told you out of him."

"Why couldn't you get anymore after that?"

"Before we could give him the nest dose of serum, he stole one of our wands and performed a memory charm on himself. He knew he could never take us all out, so he decided to sacrifice his own mind for the sake of the plan."

"So what do you propose we do?"

"It's being done as we speak – I talked with Dumbledore this morning. There's a lock down on all the houses, and if one student goes missing…well, you'll know. Be satisfied with that."

"I guess I must be. But why is he kidnapping someone? What's he going to accomplish from this?" Remus looked intently at herm real worry now showing in his eyes.

She stood up and walked toward the door, her back facing him. "That's something we're going to have to find out. Fast."

----------------------------

The first shriek sounded at 2:00 in the morning, but it was the second that made Harry open his eyes. He sat up in bed, noticing that the noise had not managed to disturb anyone else. The sound came from beneath them, a woman's cries of pain climbing their way to the peak of the boys' dormitories. Grabbing his wand, Harry quickly got out of bed, put on his glasses and threw on his cloak. As soon as he touched the doorknob, however, he was stopped by the muffled sound of Ron's voice.

"Harry," he aid, clearly not fully awake from his deep slumber, "wha's goin' on?"

"I'll be right back, Ron. Don't worry about it." However, Ron had already managed to let out a loud snore before Harry reached the last word of his sentence.

Harry quickly, but quietly moved down the stairs. The screaming was becoming louder and more frequent as he went down. It wasn't until he saw the forms of Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall rushing frantically about the common room that Harry realized that the screams were coming directly from underneath the stairs – they were coming from Mel's room.

"Potter!"

Harry stopped dead in his tracks. McGonagall was looking directly at him, and he was just standing there in his cloak and pajamas.

"What on earth are you doing out of bed at this hour?"

Harry thought he could see her glaring at him through the darkness.

"Well, I just – I heard – "

However, McGonagall's features softened and seemed to grow tired.

"Never mind, never mind. You might as well help as long as you're here. Fill this pitcher up with warm water and follow me."


	10. The Protector part 2

A/N: Sorry, guys, my computer was stupid and didn't upload the whole chapter (ARGH!). Anyway, here is the rest of the chapter – enjoy!

Harry obeyed and proceeded into Mel's room beneath the stairs. Dumbledore was already there, holding Mel's hand and whispering to her. He glanced at Harry and merely nodded, as if he'd been expecting him. Vanessa was on Mel's other side. She quickly took the pitcher from Harry, too distracted to be surprised by his presence. She dunked a rag into the pitcher and dabbed Mel's sweaty forehead with it.

Melissa looked exhausted. She was breathing heavily, her damp chest heaving up and down. All the color had gone from her face and lips. Her head, neck, and hair were thoroughly soaked and glistening sweat. Her eyes remained open, however, and fixed on Dumbledore as he spoke to her and stroked her hair.

"Potter!"

Harry was violently jerked out of his staring trance by McGonagall's sharp voice. He spun around to see her trying to balance a bundle of sheets in her arms.

"Don't just stand there," she said. "Help Madam Pomfrey with the towels!"

Obediently, Harry joined Madam Pomfrey at the foot of the bed, setting towels up around Mel's legs.

"How is she?" he asked, showing concern.

"She's been having a difficult labor," Madam Pomfrey replied, as Mel let out another wail. "But I expect she'll be fine. We're going to have to push soon – she's nearly ready."

Vanessa holding her mother's hand, completely absorbed in her, and apparently unaware of Harry's presence.

Mel let out another moan, which seemed to signal to Madam Pomfrey that it was time to deliver. Harry hadn't the slightest idea of what to do. McGonagall was bustling about, getting water ready, rearranging towels, etc. Madam Pomfrey scooted him off to the side and stood at the foot of the bed.

"Alright, dear, when I say push, push as hard as you can. Ready? One, two, three, _push!_"

Mel's screams increased in volume by about two hundred percent, and every time Madam Pomfrey told her to push, it got harder and harder for her to make any sound at all – this birth was taking all of her breath.

"Just one more – one, two, three…"

And then it was over. A bloody, crying, tiny baby emerged in Madam Pomfrey's arms from under the sheets. Harry, though he'd seen many women pushing their newborns in strollers on Privet Drive, had never seen anything like this. It was single-handedly the most disgusting, yet beautiful thing he thought he would ever see.

"It's a boy," exclaimed Madam Pomfrey, showing Mel the baby. _Sirius's_ _son_.

Mel could hardly lift her head to see her child, but when she was able to glimpse her son, she gave the best smile Harry had seen on her in weeks.

As the child was being taken away to get cleaned, Harry saw Vanessa follow, her face filled with an expression of such adoration and deep happiness – a kind that Harry had never quite seen on a person before.

"What is his name, Melissa?" Harry heard Dumbledore ask.

"H-his name is Magen," she answered weakly, her head drooping. But as Dumbledore got up to leave her to her rest, she grabbed at his arm. "Do you – do you think he saw?"

Dumbledore bent down to her. "I'm sure he never takes his eyes off you."

He stroked her head once more and stepped out of the room as Mel fell off into a distant sleep.

--------------------------------------

Three weeks went by since Magen's birth, and Mel was just about the happiest person alive. She was constantly taking him for walks on the grounds, which attracted most of the female students away from whatever they were doing to get a look at the baby. This also presented the male students with an opportunity to show their sensitive side to the girls, thus making getting a date for the next Hogsmede weekend much easier.

Harry, however, was seeing less and less of Vanessa. Whenever she was not in class, she would be spending all of her free time with Magen. Having a little brother to take care if gave her a feeling of purpose and connection to her father. She loved the child so much; she was reluctant to let him out of her sight. When Harry _did_ see her in the common room or in the halls, they would stare at each other briefly (Vanessa did with what seemed like great determination), until she would avert her eyes to something else. Apparently, the incident in the cave had been harder to get over than either of them had thought.

However, she masked whatever sad feeling she might be enduring well – she was always in a happy mood, especially when conversation turned to her brother.

Harry had been up in bed one night thinking about end-of-term things when he again heard noises coming from beneath the stairs – Mel's room. However, these were louder and seemingly more violent. He sat up in bed, only to notice that Ron was also awake.

"Did you hear it?" he asked, his red hair the only visible part of him in the darkness.

Harry looked around him. Adam's bed was empty – it hadn't even been slept in. Without a word, he threw on a cloak and ran down the stairs. He heard screams and increased his pace. To his surprise, the door to Mel's bed was wide open.

Nothing seemed to amiss, however, when he entered the room. Mel was fast asleep, her breathing deep and consistent. When he reached the end of her bed, he thought heard her whisper something that sounded like "looks just like you." But as he stepped further into the room, what was covered by shadows in the dark corner could now be seen: stone tiles from the floor had been removed and scattered, revealing a long stone staircase underneath the floor.

_A hidden staircase that Fred and George never knew about?_

But as he kept looking, he saw the crib next to the passageway – empty.

The baby's blankets had been pushed back neatly, as if he'd been gently lifted out. But there were blankets on the floor as well, all ruffled and strewn about. He noticed that a pillow had been ripped open, its feathers lying across the blankets.

Magen had been kidnapped and someone tried to fight the kidnapper off.

_Vanessa._

But how could Mel have slept through this? Harry tried shaking her but she kept on breathing in her deep, slumbering breaths.

Harry, realizing what he had to do, knowing that Magen and Vanessa were in trouble _now_, took a long breath, and began descending the steps into complete and utter darkness.

A/N: MWAHAHAHAHA! Ok, I'm done…

For those curious, the baby's name is pronounced Mah – jen. And also for those who are curious, I will explain the title of this chapter upon request in the opening of the next chapter.


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